Dear oh dear what happens to girls in yr 9 (14)?? Horrible and spiteful one minute and nice the next...aaargh!

[BeatTheClock]

Dd is nearly 14. Gawd help us what an 'orrible lot some of her 'friends' are sometimes. Lovely one day and the most scheming little divas you could meet the next . It seems like a bear pit at school atm where no-one in genuine anymore.

Some of these girls she's known most of her life and dd is struggling (but holding her own it has to be said, with some wobbles) in all this. Every day a new tale of hormone fuelled woe.

The constantly shifting hierarchy and jostling for poll position in any given group is mind blowing. Dd, quiet and thoughtful by nature is finding it all so.

Does this madness pass??

[elliepac]

Speaking as a teacher... year 9 is the year where the most normal and lovely of children will suddenly display character traits which you never knew they had! You can teach a class in year 8, think they are adorable, teach them again in Year 9 and they have morphed into the class from hell. It is a common condition know as year9itis and it is most common amongst girls who acquire a strain called bitchiness with attitude. The vast majority will overcome this troublesome bug and morph back to their normal selves within a year. It must also be said that whilst under the influence of this bug they will occasionally demonstrate their true lovely selves and reassure that this too shall pass.

[Sparklingbrook]

How about the boys elliepac?

[BeatTheClock]

They really can be so unbelievably mean atm and yet when it comes to themselves - super sensitive. Goodness me

[Sparklingbrook]

Year 9 girls Facebook pages can be quite an eye opener Beat. DS1's lovely little friends from First School 3 years ago suddenly appear very grown up.

[BrianButterfield]

I was about to say that as a teacher, year 9 classes can behave in the most unutterably vile way possible. Years 7 and 8 still have a childishness about them you can capitalise on, and have some good fun with. Years 10 and 11 know they're doing important things and want to seem grown-up. Year 9 is this crazy limbo year where they just go insane!

[ProudNeathGirl]

Lol. They grow out of it. My DD is 17 and back to being lovely.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Oh yes... Year 9 is miserable.

[BeatTheClock]

Oh well at least it's across the board and not just dd and her friends. She is quite low with it all atm though. I'm feeling quite unfriendly myself towards a couple of them tbh. I wish I could stop dd caring about it all so much. She's just getting hurt by them.

[sleeze]

Year 9 was truly hideous. Bear with it though, dd is now year 10 and they have definitely all grown up (for the better) over the summer!

[BeatTheClock]

Lol that's encouraging. It's funny because it seems to have been over the summer and into yr 9 that they've all morphed into such awful little witches. Roll on next summer then

[elliepac]

sparkling the boys develop a bizarre love affair with lynx deoderant and are unable to communicate in words of more than syllable. This particularly noticeable early in the morning. Think caveman. They also discover the girls and spend 95% of their time trying to attract them in any way possible. Generally speaking though I find that Year9itis is much easier to spot in boys because what you see is what you get, the girls are sneaky.

[elliepac]

more than one syllable I mean. Maybe i have caught the bug.

[DameEnidsOrange]

Oh God I'd heard about this and hoped it was an urban myth..

[deleted203]

Oh no, it's true all right. I teach teens. And elliepac has hit it spot on. The one thing I would say about boys is that you can be really quite foul to a teenage boy and they just look sheepish and go, 'Hur Hur, I got caught' and then will shout, 'Awright Miss?' in the corridor at you ten minutes later. Say to a Y9 girl, 'Turn round, please, Demi - I'm speaking!' and for weeks afterwards you are getting the evil eye and she's hissing I hate that bitch! to her friends under her breath.

[Sparklingbrook]

Seems the girls bear grudges then sowornout. Boys probably forget you even told them off along with everything else.

My Year 9 boy is still very much a boy but some of his friends are turning into blokes IYKWIM. Scary.

[TantrumsAndGoldAndOrange]

Same here. My year 9 boy is still a boy.....just.
Some of his friends have turned into very...well... Manly for want of a better word.

[Sparklingbrook]

When does it happen Tantrums? DS is getting quite aware that he still has a 'squeaky voice' as he puts it. He's a June birthday which doesn't help.

[toodles]

Same here in Greece, although this started in Year 7. Now dd is in Year 9, the stories she brings home are shocking. Apparently there is a smokers corner behind the bushes. Dd noticed one girl who smokes normal cigarettes and also rolls her own had all the 'equipment' in her little bag along with condoms. She was shocked. Glad she's sharing these stories with me though.

[elliepac]

sowornout that is so true. I taught a Year 9 boy last year who was a rather troublesome chap and spent at least 75% having a go at him. Last day of term he brought me a box of chocolates and said thanks for being his favourite teacher bless him. (i did check they were sealed and lace with arsenic first )

[elliepac]

Must preview posts, must preview posts. Not laced with arsenic.

[bigTillyMint]

DD is Y9 and from what she (and DS, spy in Y7) tells us about school, it all sounds very familiar. They all seem so grown-up most of the time, and years ahead of most of the boys! Thankfully most of her closer male friends are still of the "boy" variety, especially as DS has chummed up with them!

Definitely agree that boys are less likely to harbour grudges!

[TantrumsAndGoldAndOrange]

sparkling it seemed that in September a few of them suddenly had deep voices and just seemed more grown up.
Ds1 still has his squeaky voice but it's cracking!

Also he said to me yesterday "mum when do you think I'll need to start shaving?"

Erm well probably when you have some hair to shave son?

[bigTillyMint]

toodles, it's a relief that they are still shocked - DD is horrified by some of the kids in her year group who are drinking, smoking and starting to have sex (well, give hand-jobs, at least!) They are 13, turning 14 - where did their childhood go

[Sparklingbrook]

He still goes all high pitched when he's outraged Tantrums (ie 99% of the time). I might miss that.

I will never know what it is like to parent a teenage girl but I think it must be quite stressful. Plus I know what it's like to be a teenage girl.

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

You're all scaring me. DD's year 9 but just started Upper school. The last two year of Middle school were grim by they all seemed Ok this year.

But that's just because they are all getting used to the new school and being the little ones there isn't it and they are all going to be vile again after half term.