By: JodY Mcnatt and Meritt sims, Perimeter School Moms

When was the last time your middle schooler thought you were cool? Be honest. It isn’t happening all that often anymore, is it? No, we didn’t think so.

And it’s hard. Truth be told, it can even can hurt a little. Or a lot. Our kids once saw us as Superman or Wonder Woman, but those days are long gone. These middle schoolers are catching up to us in height, and they are catching us off-guard with their new independence and “almost-teen” attitudes.

And because there’s absolutely nothing new under the sun, this isn’t just happening now with this particular group of middle schoolers. It also happened years ago when our older kids were in middle school. And that’s when a bunch of us moms got together and decided to “get cool” together (or try!) and plan the first Middle School Hoedown.

What’s cooler than a hoedown?

Because, y’all, what’s cooler than a hoedown, right? Howdy partner and yee haw!

We suppose we saw ourselves in our covenant cowboy hats and boots and just knew this would be the answer to increasing our “coolness.”

So on a beautiful October night in 2007, we strung lights, brought quilts, ordered BBQ, booked the Perimeter pavilion, and had our school’s first hoedown. 

We aren’t sure that it completely transformed us into “cool” parents, but it created an environment where covenant families - both parents and students - came together for dinner, line-dancing, cricket spitting, and a bushel of good, old-fashioned fun. 

At the event that night, we remember feeling such joy as we watched Covenant parents connecting with their kids and building relationships with each other.

We are honored to have been a part of that first Middle School Hoedown and grateful that it has become an October tradition at Perimeter School. We are excited about attending this year with our youngest children! 

We aren’t sure it was the solution to our parent “cool factor” issue, but it certainly did help create a stronger covenant family for all of us. We hope we see you there!

Register now for the Middle School Hoedown on Friday, October 18 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Join us for a BBQ dinner, line dancing, and pie eating and cricket spitting contests! Please note that this event is only for Perimeter School middle school students and their parents, and all students must have a parent responsible for them at the Hoedown. For more details and to register, go to ParentsWeb > Web Forms > Hoedown Registration. We can't wait for this foot stompin' night full of fun and fellowship!