Meal times at home, bedtime routines, conversations in the car. Any time you can give your middle schooler some space to talk, connect, and just relax -- do it.
I will not hear the arguing. I will not hear the “you had it last, you put it away” fights I now realize that I am thankful for that.
As my daughter experienced being left out of new cliques with friends since birth and “mean girl” drama, I was shocked with what happened among my peers. Despite promises to the contrary, my mom “tribe” were unwilling to intervene.
Take your kids with you to vote, wearing your masks, and standing in line. Teach that it’s a privilege to be part of our political system, and model the importance of treating other people with kindness and respect, even when we disagree. Common decency and courtesy should not be a lost art.
As a parent, you want to protect your child at all costs, and therein lies the heartache. Because as much as I want my teens to grow up to be admirable members of society, I must learn to grant them some privacy and allow them to be themselves.
Here are some questions to ask your child and some tips to handle this parenting season as you notice the changes happening right before your eyes.
Parenting high schoolers requires us to shift our strategies from how we were parented. It’s going to look different from “back in my day.” Rather than expect my kids to fit into the paradigm of my experience, I need to be willing to adapt to their reality.