Parents of 9 year olds - are your children different now

[meemee]

i just returned from a field trip with dd's 4th grade class. mostly 9 and some 10 year olds. 

i am blown away by how they have changed. 

i remember one of the girls used to be sooo bossy and dominated the playground. she is now a quiet, sweet, kind encouraging child - instead of the child who wants everybody to play her way or just play with her and no one else. 

i notice the same with dd and actually most of the class. they are kinda 'quiet'. and yet its the opposite with some of the quiet kids. they are bursting out and so social and expressive. 

dd not only is 'quiet shy' in public for the first time ever this super gregarious child has stage fright. a notion that was completely foreign to her all these years. 

perhaps its coz the cattiness i noticed in 3rd grade with the boys and girls. that is still there and i imagine will be there a while. 

but these kids now are so much more considerate of each other. almost like they think before they act. on the other hand some of their levels of going beserk has reached greater heights. so momentarily they can still go crazy but on the whole they are all so well behaved. 

field trips in 3rd grade were so much different than field trips in 4th grade. 

do you notice this too?

[Mummoth]

My son is in grade 4 and the thing I've noticed is their HAIR... they're all styled up! They're trying to look like teenagers :D If anything, there's been MORE conflict this year between the boys.

[chaimom]

My boys are in 4th grade and I love this year! They're so mature and love to sit around the dinner table and talk.  They remember to say please and thank you, and tell me when they appreciate things!! :)  My boys have been in the same school since K, so I know most of the 4th graders. In school, one of my boys discusses "the good kids" and the "rowdy kids."  I'm surprised by some of the kids who've migrated into the rowdy category, and I'm surprised by some of them now in the "good" category-- in K, I thought there was no hope for a couple of the boys! :)