My oldest granddaughter is just beginning middle school and I’m watching a complete transformation unfold.

Around fifth grade, she began to live in two opposing worlds. One was created by her parents. One is sculpted by the powers outside her home. Her season of sweet innocence has begun to clash against a cruel world of over-exposure.

Now, I’m not an anti-world kind of guy. But I’m painfully aware of the coping skills needed to navigate through a dangerous world. My granddaughter, and your pre-teen as well, will need a new set of skills to help her steer through the maze of choices in middle school and throughout her high school years.

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