Your child going from dependent to independent. Hopefully, you will be there when YOUR child needs you and know when to step-a-way. It is a difficult line sometimes to know but YOU have been the parent all their life so should be easier now. It is like a tunnel for the child. They are having to go into a school where drugs are sold, where sex is being flaunted, they need to be able to say NO to the negatives in life. YOUR child is pulled in a hundred directions. Help YOUR child develop a strong moral compass that allows them to take the right path. Give them their Code to live by. They need their own Toolbox, where they can be strong and confident.
When are you the “Helicopter parent” and when to let go
Middle School memories should be as wonderful as an adult. Also, if they cannot be confident and courageous they may fall into the negative parts of the school. Help the child to plan, to have a Code, to have their own Toolbox. However, you can read, take part in parenting groups, or know how to help your child, make that happen.
YOUR child going from dependent to independent.
When your child pulls away from you and starts turning to friends and others for support and advice, it can be tempting to become hands-off and adopt a mindset of “I will let them deal with it”. YOUR child still needs your mentoring. Nobody loves your child or cares about their well-being like you. Even good friends and well-intentioned adults can share poor and bad advise. This may lead them astray and into the negative parts of growing up.
Middle Schoolers still need guidance and protection, but they also need opportunities to make their own decisions, handle their own conflicts, and grow independent. Talk to them about tell them and have them tell you how they will be independent.
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