Understanding and Supporting Your Teen Through Middle School

Dear Parents,

As your children navigate the stormy journey of middle school, here is a brief exploration of the stages they may be experiencing.

The most noticeable stage is known as Adolescent Egocentrism. This stage profoundly influences how 11- to 13-year-olds perceive themselves and their place in the world.

It can manifest itself (with some variance) in two ways:

1. The Imaginary Audience: Your child may believe that others are intensely focused on their actions and appearance.
   
   
2. The Personal Fable: Your child may feel that their experiences and emotions are unique to them.

Wink Note😉: This stage often leads to teens feeling highly self-conscious, while simultaneously feeling powerful and invincible.

The middle school years are marked by significant personality changes. Mood swings are common, with some tw/eens showing erratic behaviors - they might be happy, or affectionate one moment and weeping or resentful the next. They may oscillate between feeling invincible and feeling invisible.

Parenting young teens requires an investment in patience, empathy, and continued support, despite all evidence from your child to the contrary. Kindly remind yourself that it is part of the process. These years are crucial for your child to develop increased independence from you, shift their social world from home to peers, and explore their talents and interests within a larger community of influence.

To do well in this stage of life, your child needs to learn how to understand what others are feeling and thinking, figure out their own thoughts and feelings (metacognition), control their reactions, understand how to behave in social situations, and understand their place in the world. This means they need to be good at talking to people, solving problems, dealing with disagreements, and taking care of themselves.

During middle school, children begin to spend more time with friends than family. They crave individuality but do not want to stand out from their peers. This can sometimes lead to social cruelty and bullying. Supporting the development of your child’s metacognition is the first step in helping them make better decisions across the board.

In conclusion, understanding these stages can help us better support our children through their middle school years. By being aware of these changes, we can provide them with the guidance they need while also giving them the space to grow and learn on their own.

Cite Source: https://www.scholastic.com/

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