Get all the links we mention here: https://kidscookrealfood.com/parenting-middle-schoolersI learned today that I still have a lot of internal tendencies from middle school. :o Middle school can be a foreign land and a tumultuous time, and figuring out how to parent these new beings is hard on parents. We want our kids to be happy, resilient, and thriving, not wilting, crying, and worrying. As a mom of a 12-year-old myself, I was hanging on every word of my guest today, school counselor and journalist Phyllis Fagell. Her practical strategies blew my mind, and I feel like I learned a textbook's worth of information in 40 minutes! As we head back to school, stresses are always high, and our kids need us to help them stay balanced and continue growing and developing. Middle school is particularly tough, but it turns out it's very navigable with the right perspective. Whether you have a tween in middle school now or a child who will someday be there, these parenting tools are incredible, insightful, and some will take some time to practice. Start early by parenting your tween when they're about 5!You'll learn: * Why middle schoolers are SO different from other age groups* The many crises of pre-adolescence and WHY they all pile up at once* The shocking difference between girls' and boys' confidence and interaction with the world in middle school* Simple stories parents can tell to improve mental well-being in their kids* The bane of the "imaginary audience," particularly for girls (this was one I realized I never really grew out of)* A game you can play to help reframe tween drama (and tone down its deleterious effects)* How to gradually release responsibility to your pre-teen (and the disastrous impact if you ever take it back!)* The 2 best ways to start every conversation with a tween (or teen)* Why learning to cook can help kids try new things at school too * Why it's nearly impossible to teach a middle schooler to "be yourself" (this one kind of breaks my heart)* One practical way to help your kids choose the right friends (this is seriously gold, because we all know how powerful friends are in how our kids turn out!!)* A resilience coping tool that I used the very day I recorded this interview so I wouldn't forget how to do it...I hope I don't say this too much, but this is truly one of the best interviews we've had here on the Healthy Parenting Connector, with so much practical info as well as academic background knowledge on the inner workings of a pre-adolescent. Incredible! Visit the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse and see how we teach children confidence in the kitchen: https://kidscookrealfood.comFind all the Kids Cook Real Food Healthy Parenting Connector videos at https://youtu.be/GVRq0m-Ehe4
