Parenting Tips for the Middle School Years

Well-known author and parenting expert Dr. Kevin Leman did a Focus on the Family® radio interview, Parenting Tips for the Middle School Years, in which he talks about the importance of parents upholding the “ABCs” of a child’s life: Acceptance, a sense of Belonging, and a feeling of Competence (that they can do at least one thing well). He also recommends that moms and dads give middle school kids a dose of “Vitamin E”—Encouragement—every day.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child” — train UP, not down — “in the way he should go.” Now here’s our problem as parents… I knew exactly how my kids ought to be. But “in the way he should go” really speaks to the individual bent of each of your children. You have two boys; one turns left, one turns right. One has skills in this area; one has skills in that area…. God made them all different.

Listen to the interview online and read the transcript: CLICK HERE

Featured Article: Middle Schoolers: Let Them Push “It can feel like they’re pushing away from you and from everything you hold dear. So what … are we supposed to do?”

Featured PDF: A Middle Schooler’s 10 Commandments to Parents*

*Some helpful suggestions from Dr. Leman’s new book Planet Middle School: Helping Your Child through the Peer Pressure, Awkward Moments & Emotional Drama.