Between: A guide for parents of eight to thirteen-year-olds

Product Information

For more advice on helping your tween navigate their way through life read Sarah’s brilliant new book Between: A guide for parents of eight to thirteen-year-olds. It is true that once they are well settled at school, you often have a smooth ride parenting-wise for a couple of years, with the challenges of toddlerhood well behind you and those of the teen years far in the future.

Sarah Ockwell-Smith What is ‘Gentle Parenting’ and how - Sarah Ockwell-Smith

Her latest books include The Second Baby Book, published in 2019, and The Starting School Book, published in 2020. Oh, how appealing were thoughts of being able to sleep without little limbs starfishing next to yours, to visit the bathroom alone or eat in peace. It explores key issues, including: why tweens can be moody, rude, lazy, and impulsive—and how to cope with their behavior; what happens during puberty—and when and how to talk to your tween about it; how to navigate friendships and romantic relationships in the tween years; how to encourage good mental health and body image; managing screen time and avoiding common pitfalls; and supporting the transition to secondary school.

Children in the ‘between’ stage seem to change almost daily, leaving many parents struggling to understand the child they once thought they knew so well.

Between Tantor Media - Between

However, as they grow, they will often encounter difficulties in these new relationships – Chapter 4 looks at friendships in the tween years and what you can do as a parent when they don’t run smoothly.

Of course, my fears were unfounded; within a month, I had formed new friendships, knew my way around easily and was loving the challenge of learning new subjects. We need to be promoting and encouraging children to learn how to regulate their own emotions and behaviour through learning how to breathe and regulate,’ she adds.