Teen & Tween Round-up: The new term

Well that’s it over and done with for another year. The memories of the summer holidays are fading faster than the tans (not acquired in UK, obviously) and our teens and tweens are starting on new adventures. New schools, GCSEs, A Levels or even university – life is full of changes for big kids and their parents.

So here’s what our teens and tweens have been up to over the last couple of months… (Apologies for missing last month – three kids at home, plus work and a whole lot of packing and unpacking left no time for a round-up!)

The summer holidays bring their ups and downs. How many of you were glad to see the back of your kids when school started and how many wished they were still at home? Over at MumofThree World, my kids were pushing me to the limit… And just when you think your kids couldn’t be any worse, they go and surprise you and do something amazingly caring like this!

Are your kids heading for puberty? Kate from V Family Fun describes her 12 year old son and gives us all an idea of what to expect over the coming years – deodorant, cheek and an expensive taste in clothes! As mum to a 14 year old boy and an 11 year old boy, I know exactly where she’s coming from!

Think AS Levels are unimportant? Not when your child has just sat them and is waiting for the results, as Sarah from Mostly Yummy Mummy explains in this excellent post. She also talks about the age-old tradition of knocking results and exams in the media. How is that fair on kids who have worked very hard to pass them, and teachers and parents who have supported them?

It’s not just toddlers who have tantrums, as any parent of teens will know. I feel like I need to have every word of this post by Anita Cleare tattooed just inside my eyelids, so I never forget how to react when it all kicks off!

And teens don’t just have tantrums. They also die of embarrassment every time their parents breathe too loudly. This post from Suzanne at 3 Children and It is a must read on showing up teenagers – the photo alone is enough to make me laugh.

I love Tattooed Mummy’s post on learning to let her 16 year old daughter grow up. Because there’s no manual and no rules, it’s scary for parents of teens to let go, but we all know we have to do it when the time is right. If only we knew when the time actually was right!

Talking of growing up, have you talked to your kids about sex yet? I know I haven’t and I really, really know I should, but it makes me squirm! Thanks to U Me and the Kids for coming up with such a well thought out post to help us with The Talk.

This post on parenting teenagers by Not Just Another Mum made me laugh. She likens it to American football – except she’s English and doesn’t understand American football and is fast having to learn the rules. Offensive line, anyone?

It’s important to us parents of boys to bring them up to respect and understand women, but how impressive is Best Dad I Can Be’s son? I don’t think there’s many husbands and partners understand what he understands!

That’s all for this month! If you’ve got any posts on teens or tweens, please add them to the linky below. If you’d like to be included in next month’s round-up, please tweet me your links.

About Sarah Wood

Sarah is mum to a teenage boy and a tween boy and girl. When it comes to primary school stuff, she's got it sussed. But she's realising that as secondary school and puberty hit, she's still got a lot to learn! Between tweeting, blogging and parenting, Sarah is a freelance PR and copywriter, who still finds time to run long distances and eat a lot of chocolate. It doesn't leave much time for housework.