Moving through seasons of change with our tweens & teens - BritMums Moving through seasons of change with our tweens & teens

So that was it, spring came and went and now summer is upon us! As the seasons change, so we transition through the ups and downs of life. The challenges are endured when we know that there’s a reward waiting around the corner, like the posibility of a nice long break after hard work.

This is the time of the year when our tweens and teens are facing the stress of writing tests and exams, and we may be feeling some of that anxiety ourselves. No matter how hard we try and with our best intentions, we often get it wrong as parents as blogger Louise from A Strong Coffee describes in this post SAT’s are over.

We know parenting is not easy…

However, holidays!

The prospect of the holidays ahead, and maybe going away somewhere lovely, is a thought resting on the horizon with the magical glow of all that summer promises.

This age group can be a tough one to keep occupied over the long weeks of the summer holidays so here is a list of ideas from bloggers around the country:

Activities for teenagers by Mum of 2.5.
Visiting Alton Towers with children who are 1.3m tall. by North East Family Fun.
Exploring London with Go Boat London by Truly Madly Kids.
50+ activities for tweens and teens in Yorkshire by Yorkshire Tots.

Handy Tips!

In the meantime, apart from exam pressure, we as parents of this age group are always faced with a multitude of concerns about whether we are getting this parenting thing right. Somehow when they were little things seemed more manageable and predictable. Now that our kids are in the tween and teen age goup we may have lots more questions than answers.

Here is a list of tips and advice that is as varied as our children are:

Guidelines for leaving your child alone at home by Emma and three.
Teenage skin care tips by Daisies and Pie.
How to feed a vegan teenager by Style Brief.

Moving on, them and us:

And finally, sometimes we just have to stand back and watch in amazement as our children develop from childhood into adulthood. It’s certainly not easy letting them go and yet we know this is the next stage of both our lives that is necessary, valuable and filled with wonder at how well they seem to manage without us!

I have a tween! by A Modern Mom’s Life.
My growing teenager – becoming a Man by Just Average Jen.
Living your Children’s Lives by Mummy from the Heart.
Nothing you want is upstream by Enda Stories.
What does it mean to be a ‘good enough’ parent? by Liberty on the Lighter Side.

We hope you are all surviving the test/exam season and are looking forward to the summer hols, tell us about your plans!

About Liberty Henwick

Born in the UK, reared in South Africa and now living in the Irish countryside with her husband, four kids and a few chickens, Liberty loves to write about family life on her blog Liberty on the Lighter Side. With humour and honesty she discusses the ups and downs of being a mum, travel, product reviews and their favourite recipes. Before she was a mother she was Graphic Designer - creating is her all-time favourite activity.