You may have been warned that your darling baby will become a teenager some day. There is plenty of advice out there about how to Parent a teen. What appears to be lacking is the advice for parents whose children have suddenly become Tweens. Here are some things to expect.
What is a tween? In general, a tween is a person who is not a little kid anymore and who is not technically old enough to be an actual teenager. Teens are people who are 13 through 17. There is debate over whether an 18 or 19 year old is a teenager, or an adult, or both at the same time.
Your child may start showing signs that he or she has become a tween as early as 10 years old. The stage typically lasts until they turn 13, and officially become a teenager. This in between phase is often confusing not only to parents but also to tweens themselves.
Expect Emotional Outbursts
Tweens are at the physical stage where they are starting to hit puberty. Suddenly, there are a whole lot more hormones in their bodies that they have to learn how to cope with. This can lead to emotional outbursts.
Children that were mostly calm may express a lot of anger. Disagreements between parent and child could lead to tears. Tweens can become frustrated at parents who, from their perspective, no longer understand them. Don’t panic! You’ve been through this stage before when your child was a toddler. This too, will pass.
Friends are More Important Than Family
Kids start out with their parents and siblings at the center of their world. Tweens are at a stage where they start to break away from their families and start seeking out the acceptance of friends. This can be difficult because their friends are tweens, too, and all of them are in the midst of social and hormonal changes.
Parents can expect to hear about (or observe) plenty of social drama. Your tween’s friends aren’t always going to be nice to him or her. Your tween might be rude and unpleasant to their friends, too. What looks like an easy to solve social situation to a parent can seem like the end of the world for a tween.
Stores Will Market to Tweens
Tweens desperately want to fit in with a group of peers. They want their peers to see them as “cool”. Companies that sell clothing, jewelry, music, and everything else will start marketing specifically to tweens. Your tween, who previously didn’t care much about what he or she was wearing, may suddenly insist on having a certain brand of jeans. Yes, it will the the trendiest, most expensive, brand.
Image by Anders Ruff Custom Designs on Flickr.
Related Articles at Families.com:
* Profile: The Tween Years
* Your Tween May Be Posting Personal Information on Instagram
* Talking To Your Tween
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