Here are some of our top tips on how to support your tweens growing need for independence and privacy:
- Knock before you enter their bedroom
- Don't be tempted to read their diary, emails, post or eavesdrop on their phone conversations.
- Try not to tidy your child's room if at all avoidable.
- Support your child's decisions as much as you can, everyone makes poor decisions when they are young.
- Be firm about issues that are important to your family/
- Try to always take your child’s problems and concerns seriously even if they just seem trivial to you. Listen carefully and offer advice if it’s needed.
As your child enters the teen years, you will wonder how much independence to give him. You will struggle to decide for instance what age your child should be when he’s allowed stay home alone or when is he mature enough to babysit his younger sister? The answers to these questions will largely depend on how mature and responsible your child is.
