My daughter officially crossed over into big kid territory this school year.  No longer is she at the little neighborhood school that is only a three minute walk away. Now it’s a 20 minute car ride, followed by a 15 minute wait in the a drop off line. Welcome to middle school!

Even though she’s not a little kid anymore, I still escorted Rose inside the school on the first day.  I confess. I’m finding it very difficult to let go.  As I waited in the line of 6th graders entering the school I spied of whole range of emotions. Most of the kids were either anxious, eager, or a combination of both. Their bouncy enthusiasm made me feel like I was standing in the middle of a popcorn popper. But I also noticed more than few sad sacks mourning the end of summer. Seeing their woeful little faces I wanted to hug them and say, “Cheer up! Only 122 days until winter break!” But that would just be mean.

Here are a few activities to help ease the pain of back-to-school.

What’s better than chocolate when you’re feeling blue? Cat videos! Grab your gloomy Guses and head to the Texas Theatre this Wednesday night for the Internet Cat Video Festival. The show, put on by the Video Association of Dallas, features a whole slew of kitty-cat cinema in the categories of comedy, drama, animated, musical, action, vintage, and documentary. You can feel good about keeping the kids out late on a school night, too, because a portion of the proceeds will go to Operation Kindness No-Kill Animal Shelter. Want to know more? Check out Hady Mawajdeh’s story on the Furry Festival.

Take in a little nature this Friday night at Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area. It’s the weekend so you and the kids can stay up late and watch the stars come out at Stars on the Prairie. There will be guides on hand to help you explore the night sky. If it’s too cloudy for stargazing, no worries, they’ll do a night hike instead. The cost is $10 and advanced registration is required.

See the antics of a skunk, Molly Pardon, a gecko, and an old woman  in the slapstick comedy, ‘The Old Woman Who Lived in the Cowboy Boot.’ The show is latest production from Billy’s Globe House (the kid component of Fort Worth’s Stolen Shakespeare Guild). It’s great romp for the whole family and at just $5 a ticket, it’s a great bargain, too. The last two shows happen this weekend at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center.

Round up your little dogies and head to Denton for the final weekend of the North Texas Fair and Rodeo. In addition to rides, food, livestock shows, and of course, rodeo, there are also lots of activities for your little buckaroos. They can ride a mini-tractor in the Peterbuilt Kid Zone, see the CoServ Bengal Tiger Encounter, an educational program featuring real tigers; and catch Loop Rawlins’ trick roping show.