New Series: Everything You Wanted To Know About Your Middle Schooler but Were Afraid To Ask

By Philippe Rey, Psy.D.
Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services

The goal for this blog series on middle schoolers is to provide you with the tools and information you need to have a more open and genuine conversation with your child.  Additionally, this blog series will prepare your family for the difficult topics of conversation that will arise during the middle school years.

Before we go into specific detail, it is important to remind ourselves that the ages your child spends in middle school are important developmental phases both physically and psychologically.  A great and often difficult process called puberty typically takes place during middle school years. This creates a lot of crises and can wreak havoc in children’s lives.

At the same time your child experiences the physical changes of puberty, they also start to think and feel differently. Disagreements with you as parents can begin as they start testing their boundaries in search of more independence. Middle school is also a time when they feel more vulnerable, are attracted to experimentation, and are more open to peer pressure to either conform or reject acceptable social paradigms.

In the next few weeks, we will help you understand and recognize the difference between what is age appropriate and when you should begin to feel concerned about your child during their time in middle school.