By Kim Norton
W
elcome to the age of the “tween” where voices start to deepen, odours “mature”, bodies change, and emotions run high. You as the parent are no longer the centre of your little one’s attention. You have been replaced by a much more captive audience: themselves and their peers. Somewhere around the age of 10, your little prince or princess will start wanting more independence (usually only when they want it) and the tug of war between autonomy and dependence begins. It is our job as parents not to drop that rope but to pull with equal voracity, to teach our tweens how to successfully navigate this big new world full of emotional, social and physical changes (some changes more embarrassing than others). These changes will bring on a whole new level of stress for our tweens, stress that can be managed once recognised for what it is.
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Peninsula Kids – Winter 2019