Teen and tween round-up: Back to school & blogging

So did you all get a lovely break over summer? I hope those teens and tweens had plenty of time to recharge their batteries and families all got to have some fun together. I’ve never known a summer so quiet on the blogging front (hence why this round-up is somewhat shorter than usual!). It seems like everyone really took a break.

But it’s September now and our kids are back to school (or university!) and parents are getting back into blogging. So here’s what our BritMums teens and tweens have been up to over the last month…

Teens Between informs us that apparently ‘spying’ on your tweens is the new thing. Who knew? I’m glad this concept has passed me by! She’s rejecting it too, but shares her experiences of life with her tween son as he finds his way between being grown up and being her little boy.

If your child is entering year 6, their final year at primary school, you may notice some strange things happen to them over the coming weeks. Over at MumofThree World, I share my thoughts on the emotional roller coaster that is year 6.

Social media is such a big deal for teens and tweens. It can provide them with a social life, but can also be the source of bullying. I love this post from Raising Digital Natives on talking to your children about sharing photos online and helping them realise they are permanent and can prove damaging in the future.

I can so relate to this post from Chelsea Mamma about her ‘bat in the belfry‘ aka her teenage son, who only emerges from his bedroom (and his Xbox) to be fed. This post could have been written about my own teenage son. Anyone have any advice on getting these boys motivated to get outside and actually meet their friends?

So Bad Ass is a new contributor to the round-up, and I’m so happy to have her! Her advice post for teenage boys is really powerful, covering sex, relationships, respect for women and not following the crowd. I really recommend you read it – and share it with your teenage sons!

And So Bad Ass isn’t just about the boys! She shares another fabulous advice post for her daughter as she starts secondary school and looks forward to her teenage years. If only more girls would love themselves as they are and not follow the crowd, I’m sure they would be a lot happier.

Cat at Yellow Days asks an interesting question – should school start and finish later to fit in with the sleep needs of teenagers? Apparently they’re not being lazy when they sleep late, there’s a real scientific reason why they do this – and some compelling reasons to change the school day to accommodate them. What do you think? Could this work?

While your kids are going back to school, spare a thought for those parents whose kids are starting university. Whether they’re feeling nervous about their first child going, or sad that it’s their last and they’ve got an ’empty nest’, it’s an emotional time. Keynko shares her thoughts on this big step beautifully.

That’s about all for now. If you’ve got a post to share, why not add it to the linky below. Or come and join us next month!