Caterpillars, butterflies, your body and the changes.

Caterpillars, butterflies, your body, and the changes. Oh my – that’s a mouthful. What does caterpillars and butterflies have to do with your body?

Put it this way, if the caterpillar never changed there’d be no butterflies. We would have just a bunch of caterpillars crawling around. They are cute, fuzzy and fun to watch and all – but don’t you just love to see a butterfly flying around?

Let’s let those butterflies fly around and get on their way, so we can focus on the topic at hand.

Despite all the changes that are happening around you, the most important one right now is happening to you. 

You can’t ignore the changes

What’s going on in your body while you’re in middle school can make anyone scratch their heads and think what the heck is going on here! We don’t blame you if you feel frustrated, confused and angry. You may even want to scream out loud  “I did not sign up for this!” 

You can stop rolling your eyes. It’s happening. Or, it may not be happening.

One thing is for sure – it’s hard to talk about it. To make it easier, let’s begin with a story.

There once was a really tall man

I was standing in line to pick up my kids at school. A dad who had a daughter in my son’s class came up to talk to me about how tall my son had grown recently. I tilted up my head, all the way back to my neck so I was able to talk to him, and I said: “I’m sure you can relate.”

“Actually, no I can’t. I didn’t get this tall until I turned 16. I was the shortest guy in my class in middle school.”

My eyes widened.

“I had to stand on telephone books to reach the Bima when I became a Bar Mitzvah.”

My eyes were now popping out of their sockets. You should have seen the size of this guy. He went on.

“And then the summer before I turned 16, I was completely exhausted. I slept all the time, and didn’t stop eating.”

Fascinating isn’t it.

Why me? Why not me?

You may think to yourself:

A. Why this is happening to you right now, but not your friends. 

OR

B. Why this isn’t happening to you, but it is happening to your friends.

Unfortunately, you will never get an answer to the “why”. 

Then again, it’s fun to dive deeper and discuss the following. You could be standing well over five feet tall and able to ride the roller coaster, while your buddy has to stand on the sidelines because she is not yet at the required hight for safety regulations. Just like the father I spoke to that day, who can now ride that roller coaster as many times as he wants. 

Notice we said the word YET. 

Everyone grows (and we are not only talking about height but all body parts, including those sweat glands that are in charge of B.O) at their own pace when the time is right for their bodies. The end result is pretty similar to what you see in the adult world – everyone comes in different shapes and sizes.

Caterpillars, butterflies, your body, and the changes! Just like those caterpillars, who change into beautiful butterflies that flutter around in an array of colours, shapes, and sizes.

If we were all the same, how boring would that be?

Thank you, @caterpilllarlovers for the most unique picture!

I’m so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about and what I think will serve others. If you would like me to write about you and your passions for the Braves The Waves Journal, or for your own company, please be in touch.