Does it seem like one minute you were waiting for your baby to take its first steps, and now you are watching him or her as a tween march out the door, bursting with independence? Worries about tantrums and them sleeping through the night long ago given way to conversations (and concern) over mobile phones and curfews?

As your child enters the pre-teen stage now known as "tween," you'll notice many other changes, not least their signals your child uses to show you they need you (and they still do!).

This week Abigail and Elle talk about what they've seen with their own tween children, and the adjustments they made parenting them using the Hand in Hand Parenting tools.

Elle talks about why she had to give up the words "special time," without actually giving up on special time, and Abigail shares the agreement she has with his son as they work towards him getting his own phone.

Listen in this week and find out why it can be so hard parenting tweens when the boundaries keep changing, and why getting on their wavelength now helps foster connection that will last through their teens.

Join us this week for Parenting Tweens: Keeping Close to Your Older Child

More Resources for Parenting Your Tween:

If you thought tantrums were done in the tween years, you're wrong - they may just look a little different. This podcast is all about Tweens and Their Tantrums

Help for when your tween is angry - Read A Playful Response to My Angry Tween

You still have a few days to pre-register for our new online class for parents of tweens, led by Patty Wipfler. Get information about the class content, and a special discount now.

Click to get more information on our newest class

keep connected

We’d love to hear about your parenting challenges. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message at [email protected]