Reading Atmospheric Conditions In the Tween Household

We’re happy that our girls are getting good grades in school, but grades aren’t everything.  Getting them prepared for what comes next in life also includes paying attention to their ever-evolving social skills. And since our own parental development is very much a work in progress, I’m not so sure the methods that we apply in our own home would necessarily meet the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  

When deviations from what we consider appropriate behavior occur, we have found (at least so far) that tweaking these attitudes can actually be a healthy thing for the whole family.  Since this family thing is our only go around at this, I have to assume, like everything else you hear about rearing kids, is that it all starts at home.  

Our kids are at a point in their development where adolescent mood swings are to be expected.  However, if we had a mood barometer in this house, there would be days only a haz-mat crew could clean up after the mercury blast.  

And when these atmospheric behavioral anomalies occur it is time to bring some gravity into the equation. The challenge is keeping the kids grounded when their mood swings want to take flight. Well, I have found that there’s nothing more grounding than picking up after your dog in the backyard.  There’s nothing more calming than picking weeds in the front yard.  And, there is nothing more soothing than the quiet of a tween cleaning up a room. 

But beware of the hormonal hurricanes.  These occasional flare-ups are sometimes impervious to any kind of parental logic.  These are those days when the tweens know everything and parents know nothing.  Some other elements of the perfect storm: fashion stress, hormones, oblivious parent, hormones, annoying parent, hormones, irritating sister and more hormones. 

There are definitely those times when you need to pick your battles.  There are the occasions where, for example, a flippant response should get nothing more than a raised eyebrow.  And if you sense that your tween is approaching perfect storm conditions, you may want to consider covering that eyebrow in the event that such an involuntary response on your part may incite a reactive incendiary event on their part. 

Such days are optimal for long bike rides.  It may also be the perfect occasion to take the dog for a walk, or maybe even another walk.  He’ll love you for it and you’ll rediscover the benefits of once again bonding with your pet.

I have to say my dog and I are getting into the best shape of our lives and we have developed our own inner Zen-like tween-mood-barometer.  We have progressed to the point that I believe that any day now my dog will anticipate the next household hormone storm and will fetch his leash on the slightest suggestion of an eyebrow twitch. 

Of course, disrespect of parenthood will generate the daddy of all storms.  “Daddy” as in “me.” And this passing low-pressure system invariably results in yard work, no socializing with friends, (see “grounded”) and parental implementation of a tween “no fly zone” which suspends all electronic devices that connect them to the outside world. 

Since my tweens are works in progress, much as I am as a parent, I should make the following disclaimer here and now:  If you try this at home, do so at your own risk.  The views expressed here are only the views of a parent in development.  However, some methods employed as suggested may result in improvements to your health.