Honey Boo Boo’s First Day of High School Is Here, and She’s Grown up so Much

Honey Boo Boo is growing up before our eyes! After a tough year, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is officially a high schooler, attending her first day of her freshman year Thursday, big sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon revealed to followers on Instagram. Sharing a photo of the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star, 13, looking excited and a little nervous, Pumpkin wrote a sweet message to her little sister as she embarks on a new adventure.

“Well everyone my little sister/ daughter is going to be a freshman in high school starting tomorrow morning,” she wrote with several crying emojis. “Where has the time gone? So excited to be going through this big adventure with you [heart emojis] love you bunches Atlanta (sic).”

Pumpkin’s followers, many of whom first saw Alana on Toddlers & Tiaras, were shocked to see how quickly she’s growing up.

“Oh my gosh, seems like yesterday I first watched her on toddlers and tiaras! Time seriously flies!’ one commenter wrote.

“High school?!?! HOW did this happen?? Time flies,” another echoed.

It hasn’t been an easy time for Alana since mother June “Mama June” Shannon was arrested in March alongside boyfriend Geno Doak on crack cocaine possession charges. Despite a no-contact order issued initially by a judge, Shannon and Doak have continued their relationship, and Alana has moved in with her big sister.

Despite a planned intervention for Mama June, a video surfaced last month of a seemingly intoxicated Doak crashing his car into the family’s home. Alana’s earnings from her work on TV, including Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, have been placed in an account her mother cannot access, reported TMZ last month.

“We’re told the family is deeply concerned Mama June might try to use her daughter’s assets to fund her gambling and alleged drug habit,” the report read at the time. “So they want to make sure Honey Boo Boo’s money is protected.”

Photo credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images