Some tips to help make life just a little easier for the whole family:
Maintain your parental status
This is not the time to try and be your child’s friend. Your child needs you to be a parent during this confusing stage of development.
Have clear-set rules
You will need to set new rules as your tween exercises his growing independence. You should begin by figuring out what is important to you, such as knowing the difference between right and wrong, honesty and getting good grades. This will help you decide to let go of things that don’t matter in the long run such as tidying a bedroom or wearing clean socks.
Make sure that your child knows where the limit is. Perhaps you can ignore it when she rolls her eyes at you, but ensure she understands that it’s crossing the line if she raises her voice or walks out the door mid conversation.
Choose a tween-appropriate punishment
Some parents find that taking away a favourite activity, like their games console or mobile phone is the best punishment when tweens misbehave. Whatever punishment you decide however, it’s always vital that you follow through. If they know that it’s just an empty threat, then you lose the upper hand.
Set aside some quality time each day
Take your tween out for lunch or go for a walk together, just the two of you. Don’t push an agenda, but let your child lead the conversation. Try to listen even if he is just trying to swindle that new computer game out of you! Always be ready to listen when your tween needs you. Even if you feel you are too busy to listen, try to stop what you are doing. This can make a big difference to your relationship.
Have family time
Even though your tween will begin to crave distance from her parents, she is still a kid and needs to have you there as a safety net. Why not designate a specific night as family night and ban all computer games, television, mobile phones and friends. The whole family can then spend time together cooking and playing games.