How to Parent 12 to 14-Year-Olds – Being Mindful & Positive
Karen Thomas

When parents mention that they have a 12- to 14-year-old, people may say, "You're in for a challenging period entering the teenage years!" Actually every stage of development has its own challenges.

• The Practice of Being Mindful With 12- to 14-Year-Olds
• Parents, Engaging Mindfully With 12- to 14-Year-Old Adolescents Can Ease Anxiety
• Teaching Adolescents to Practice Mindfulness Can Bring Huge Benefits
• Twelve- to 14-year-olds need their parents to focus on achievements, not failings.
  Engaging:
  
  • positively
  • mindfully
  • sensitively with forethought
  • with loving focus

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Child Development
- Early Adolescence (12-14 years old)

Developmental Milestones
African American teenager with a sax Early adolescence is a time of many physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. Hormones change as puberty begins. Boys grow facial and pubic hair and their voices deepen. Girls grow pubic hair and breasts, and start menstruating. They might be worried about these changes and how they are looked at by others. This will also be a time when your teenager might face peer pressure to use alcohol, tobacco products, and drugs, and to have sex. Other challenges can be eating disorders, depression, and family problems.

At this age, teens make more of their own choices about friends, sports, studying, and school. They become more independent, with their own personality and interests.

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Understanding 12-14-Year-Olds
Margot Waddell

How much independence should parents allow teenagers who claim rights and privileges but do not take responsibility, show excessive confidence and test the boundaries of discipline? To what extent should parents try to understand and accept changes in their adolescent child when he doesn't... Read More >>

Understanding and Working with Teens
Young Teens (12-14 year olds)

This guide discusses the common physical, mental, social and emotional characteristics for high school youth. As you read, keep in mind that no two children develop according to the same schedule. In addition, transitions are gradual. A member who seems very responsible and mature at one meeting may be noisy and bored at the next. By accepting the members at their current developmental stage and offering challenging growth opportunities to help them make the transition into the next, 4-H staff and volunteers can help make 4-H a rewarding and fulfilling experience for your club members at the same time you help them grow and develop.
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