Most schools will run a parents’ evening towards the end of the first term, which will give you an opportunity to meet your tween’s teachers and hear about how they are settling in. Welsh government minister Mark Drakeford said this is a ‘historic moment’ for children and their rights. COPYRIGHT NOTE: I am *very* happy for you to share this blog post and spread awareness of gentle parenting, but PLEASE DO NOT COPY the table and use it outside of this blog post without my permission. The tween years finish at age thirteen, when your child is officially a teenager, and help and advice for parents picks up once again. Importantly, your relationship during this period will help to keep both the entrance and exit of this bridge open, allowing your child to cross back over to you when they most need you.

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

I think one of the hardest things about being a parent or carer to a tween at secondary school is having far less involvement with school than you had previously. Make sure your tween knows where to go and who to ask for help at school if they are lost or feeling out of their depth. 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.Try to attend any new parents’ information evenings and take advantage of offers to chat with form tutors before, or soon after, your tween starts school. Even if the school is running settling-in sessions, ask if you can have a video tour of the building, or at least some photos of your child’s new form room and form tutor.

Between by Sarah Ockwell-Smith | Waterstones

Then bam, before you can take a breath, you catch a glimpse of your child as the teenager they soon will be. On the contrary – the tween years are some of the busiest developmentally and often the most challenging for many parents.

Chapter 8 delves deeper into body image and why the tween years are key to helping your child grow into an adult with good body acceptance – one who is more likely to escape the seemingly ever- growing pressures of the diet and cosmetics industries.

How to Be a Calm Parent: Lose the guilt, control your anger

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. Some parenting methods give all control to the children, for fear of the little tyrants becoming unmanageable monsters as they grow. If parents react to strong emotions by hitting, children will think that violence is an appropriate response to anger.The new legislation removes the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence that has been in place since the Victorian era, which gave parents some legal protection for hitting their kids. 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. Sarah specialises in ‘gentle parenting’ (she is often credited as being the founder of the movement) and childism (the unconscious discrimination of children in society). Similarly in a later chapter I will also discuss what to expect in terms of results, when you should expect them and what to do if it gentle parenting doesn’t seem to be working for you.