A study of 1,023 children between 10 and 13 years old showed that the number who felt uncomfortable talking to their parents about sexuality nearly doubled after puberty occurred. Prior to that, they were open to instruction and guidance at home. Ninety-three percent of the 10- to 12-year-olds felt loved by their parents “all the time.”
That attitude changed dramatically when these children reached puberty. Those who had been open to advice the year before were suddenly unwilling to talk to their parents. The window of accessibility had closed.
The moral of the story? Invest time in the months before puberty to prepare your children for the emotional and physical stresses of adolescence. The following articles may help.
The effort you put into your children’s lives will pay big dividends — and will help them thrive in the adolescent years, not just survive.
Editor's Note: For
years, Dr. James Dobson has recommended
that parents take
their
preteens away from home for what is called
a “Preparing for Adolescence” weekend.
You can camp, hike or shop — whatever
you and your preteen enjoy doing together.
Take advantage of this window of opportunity
to talk to your preteen about the changes
he or she will be going through in the
adolescent years.
Get a set of Dr.
Dobson’s Preparing
for Adolescence: How to Survive the Coming
Years of Change tape series.
There are six cassettes you can listen to
during your travel time to your weekend get-away,
while you are there and on your way home.
As you listen with your child, you can stop
the tape and talk about one of the topics.
Be encouraged: This will be a weekend that the two of you will treasure for the rest of your lives. And it can make all the difference in how your child will handle the upcoming years of change.
