“how can i help my 8 to 12 year-old?”

If you’re like many parents, raising a younger child may have seemed more straightforward (even if exhausting!), but talking to your 8-12 year old feels, well…..trickier. Despite our best efforts, it’s normal for tweens to push back against their parents more often, and to exhibit more negativity and intensity in their emotions.

Despite the fact that these changes are normal and expected to a certain degree, they can make parents feel concerned. If you’ve tuned in to the negative findings in the news about teens and mental health, you may worry about what’s coming down the road, especially if your tween continues to struggle with their emotions. The good news is that there are plenty of positive steps you can take to help prepare and protect your tween. No matter what your child’s behavior is like, now is the time to work on strong, open communication around emotions, beliefs, self-concept, behavior, and friendship issues. Strong communication between you and your child opens the door to a connectedness that will help you support your tween now, and in the years ahead.

We can’t protect our kids from everything, BUT we can create stronger relationships that give us the best chance of strengthening our tweens’ mental well-being and resilience.