11 - 13 year olds


During the pre-teen years our children are probably at their most vulnerable. Budding curiosity about sexuality, and a deeper reliance on friends, and the internet instead of parents as a source of information, puts them at increased risk of being led astray. These impressionable years can put a lot of strain on parents to find a balance between letting your child grow up, and still trying to protect them, and make sure they are making good decisions. Although they may not admit it, your pre-teen really needs you, and does want and need to know in a loving way that you are still in charge.

Click here for more on this topic:

Read More About It:

American Psychological Association - The Teen Years          A document titled: The Teens Years written for parents from the American Psychological Association website.

What Makes Kids Care?          This article from the American Psychological Association website focuses on teaching empathy and concerns for others.

10 Tips for Building Resilience in Kids and Teens          A document titled: Resilence For Kids and Teens-A Guide For Parents and Teachers from the American Psychological Association website.

Getting Along with Your Teen-Mistakes to Avoid and Strategies to Use          Handout made by psychologist to assist parents in getting along with their teen.

Internet Safety Tips for Parents          20 Things parents can do to protect themselves and their families while online.

Additional Links:

National Parenting Center - Articles About Preteens    www.tnpc.com/article/showcat.asp?n=6       This link on the National Parenting Center website provides over 180 brief articles on parenting preteens.

Parenting Preteens    www.todaysparent.com/preteen/index.jsp       You'll find a parenting community to call your own, with a library of information on all the ages and stages of your growing family, fun tools, features, and discussion forums to swap advice with other parents.

Positiveparent.com    www.positiveparenting.com/resources/feature_article_019.html       Produced by the International Network for Children and Families on Teen Development

Talking with Kids about Tough Issues - 10 tips    www.talkingwithkids.org/first.html        Talking With Kids About Tough Issues is a national initiative by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation to encourage parents to talk with their children early and often about tough issues

Strategies for Helping Children Resolve Conflicts Non-Violently    www.athealth.com/Consumer/issues/avoid_conflicts.html       This article on the athealth.com website explains why it is important for kids to resolve conflict nonviolently and offers strategies.

Helping Children Use the Internet Safely    www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/health_safety/web_safety_for_kids_teens.shtml       This article for parents from the Child Development Institute website offers parent advice for keeping their children safe on the internet.

Kids Online: Protecting Your Kids in Cyberspace    www.protectkids.com       This link from ProtectKids.com provides parents with internet safety information.

Effects of Watching TV Violence    aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+and+TV+Violence§ion=Facts+for+Families       A Facts for Families information sheet about TV violence from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) website.

Bullying Prevention Website    www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/html/parentsPros.asp       This site was developed to help children in second through sixth grade recognize bullying and respond to it in appropriate, effective ways. It is for all children who are bullied or who witness bullying.

Internet Safety Tips For 11-13 Year Olds    www.bewebaware.ca/english/safety_tips_11_13.aspx       This article from the Be Web Aware project offers parents tips to increase internet safety for their children.

Some of the files on this site are in Adobe Acrobat format.

Acrobat Reader is a free download from Adobe. Please follow Adobe's instructions for loading the Acrobat Reader in your system.