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Living With a Tween

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By lakeerieartists


Between childhood and adulthood

Tweens are a new phenomenon in the parenting world.
Tweens are a new phenomenon in the parenting world.

Do you have a tween at home?

Do you live with a tween?  What?  You don't know what a tween is?  A tween is a child between child and teenager usually between the ages of 11 and 15 years old.

When I was growing up a generation ago, there was no such thing as tweens.  There were children, teenagers, and adults.  But nowadays, an entire new group of kids has emerged, and rightly so, because our children develop so much faster than we did even just one generation ago.  Tweens are physically and hormonally more developed that we were.  My 12 year old daughter is just one inch shorter than I am and wears adult sized clothes, and she is no where near close to done growing.

But are they even close to as mentally developed as a teenager?  No way, they are still far behind teens in mental and emotional development.  So even though they look like teens or adults, they are not.

Do you live with a tween at home?

  • Yes, and my hair is turning grayer by the minute.
  • No, and thank heaven I don't.
See results without voting

Bryn is my tween


Communicating with Tweens

Tweens can be hard to communicate with because of hormones. The hormones we are used to thinking of being a teenager issue starts much earlier as girls especially start growing faster. Tweens can be very moody, and unsure of themselves. They cry easily, and feel less sef-confident in their new bodies.

One minute they will be happy, the next depressed. It is natural for them to be that way, but you need to keep an eye on them to make sure that the moods are not lasting too long.

Give them boundaries. They will test them over and over. You will have to repeat the rules, and the consequences. But they need your guidance.

Make sure to let them know that you love them. They are at a critical point in their development right now, and need to hold your hand, even if they seem to be pushing you away.

Praise their successes, even if they turn around and disappoint you the next time. They are listening to your every word, every nuance at this age.

Be the calm in the storm of their emotions. You need to be the one who anchors them in a confusing world of propaganda, internet, and peer pressure.

Bryn crazy dancing!


Where do tweens get their information?

Tweens get most of their information from school, the internet, and their peers.  And you have to teach them how to wade through gossip and innuendo to get to the truth.

Since so many of them already have their own Ipods, computers, or at least internet access, it is much, much harder to intercept everything they learn.  It is far more important to make sure that they are required to get permission from you to go anywhere or do anything even if it is with a trusted friend.

As adults, we are much more aware of dangers from the internet, and misleading, and fraudulent practices online, but our tweens are much more trusting, and vulnerable.  Since we cannot really monitor their intake of information, we absolutely need to know where they go, who they go there with, and what they are doing when they are there.  It is our job to protect them, and we as parents must monitor them.


Tweens need to get a lot of exercise

Self-confidence is a big issue for tweens.  Because their bodies are changing, they are uncomfortable with them and need to stay physically fit to use up their boundless energy and strengthen their bodies.

Getting them involved with group activities like team sports will also help them relate better to their peers, and learn teamwork and cooperation.  Try to find sports that are less competitive and more team oriented.


Tweens are Often Hungry

Tweens eat a lot. This is the best age to really get them to start eating healthy meals, because at this age they tend to eat just about anything in front of them. They are growing rapidly, and using up food's resources quickly. However, when they stop growing, they will need to know how to nourish their bodies more efficiently.

Lots of complex carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables are the best snacks and appetizers. They will take longer to digest and give your tween more nutrients than a sugary snack. They also sustain their energy much longer.

Tweens also need a lot of protein for their growing bodies. This is a good time to teach them about vegetable proteins and the difference between fatty proteins and lean more dense proteins.

Smaller, more frequent meals is a good way for tweens to keep up their energy, and get good, solid nutrition.

Living With a Tween in the News

  • Fashion Forward: Look good and do good with brands loved by Alba, WattsUSA Today1 second ago

    This week: Buying Temple St. Clair and Bulgari jewelry helps your style and charity.

  • All set to tackle Young India: Shobhaa Derediff.com2 days ago

    In conversation with rediff.com, Shobhaa De discusses her soon-to-be released book S's Secret, a fictional work targeting Young India.

  • Grafton's latest is her best yetMontgomery Advertiser2 days ago

    Can it really be 27 years since Kinsey Millhone sifted through clues in "A Is for Alibi?"

  • Bieber mania!Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune3 days ago

    From YouTube to the Top 40, 15-year-old Justin Bieber's "crazy" ride brings him to the sold-out Xcel Center Sunday.

  • Children's gift books to put under the treeChattanooga Times Free Press2 days ago

    Their parents may cuddle up with Kindles on Christmas morning, but little ones are still delighted with a gift of books whose illustrations bring to life new and treasured holiday tales.

  • Boys will be boysSanta Barbara Daily Sound4 days ago

    I learned a new word recently: “Dad-olescence,” described by Daily Beast writer Sean Macaulay as the modern, midlife crisis-aged male’s tendency to “act like a sullen teenager … a low-grade regressive style of acting-out that's now so widespread among midlife males it deserves its own label.”

  • Tom Mcloughlan, that soundsNew Matilda5 days ago

    In reply to The World's Longest Running Puppet Show : Tom Mcloughlan, that sounds very much like the Labor party I know, very much like them. If one was to add up all those, "small beers", it would make a keg the size of Ayers Rock. Dave, me & now you. See how they add up.

  • Panel workshop discusses height restrictions for land development codeCaptivaSanibel.com5 days ago

    Members of the public and the Captiva Community Panel met at South Seas Island Resort on Tuesday morning for a workshop session pertaining to height restrictions in the land development code.


Appreciate your tween while you can

Tweens turn into teenagers, then adults very quickly so appreciate your tween while you can.  Although you may be earning some additional gray hairs during this part of your child's life, you will soon see it pass by. 

They really do grow so quickly, almost before our very eyes.  Sometimes, I think that I can tell that my daughter has gotten taller just overnight.

Comments

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Janet21 profile image

Janet21  says:
7 months ago

My daughter is 11 and she is definitely much more mature than I was at that age. Kids grow up so much faster today. I wish that wasn't the case. I wish they could stay innocent for a bit longer, but with everything they hear at school, her innocence is slipping away fast.

thegreenerme profile image

thegreenerme  says:
7 months ago

No tweens or babies here yet! It's definitely a difficult age to go through. Great to see you over here on hubpages!

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