Do you ever have those moments when you realize that your tween is changing and growing up?  I feel like I am having these moments all the time with my tween lately.  I see his expressions change, his understanding brighten and his face changing from his sweet boyish features into a more mature version of himself.  At the same time, he is such a kid full of boundless energy and excitement for life!

Lincoln is my first child to enter these tween years.  Here are some tips on how to positively manage and work with tween behaviors;

*  When dealing with angry tweens, make sure you set limits on how they’re allowed to express their feelings. Violent out bursts, physical aggression, and disrespectful behavior should not be tolerated. It’s important to teach your tween now how to responsibly manage his or her emotions. Doing so will make the teen years much easier for both of you.

*  Moody tweens often need time alone in order to calm down and put things into perspective. If your tween struggles with mood swings, help him find ways to deal with his emotions positively. He could listen to music, read a book, or spend time playing video games.

I had a rough week last week. I was sick, sicker than I have been in years. My throat was sore, my ears ached and I still had to get to work and get the boys where they needed to be. To top it off, Kerry was still away at school so I was on my own. After two trips to he doctor and a few prescriptions, I was not feeling any better. Thankfully, Jake and Sam stepped up to the plate to help their mom out.

It’s funny how even a 6 and 7 year old can tell when they are needed. I did not have to get after them about cleaning up, they played quietly when we got home from school each day and they understood when we got take out for just about every dinner. They made the week as easy as they could for me.  When mom gets sick it is rough for the entire family. With one parent gone, Jake and Sam really needed to bring their “A” game and they did:)

I am really proud of the way the boys behaved for me this past week. Luckily, I am on the mend (finally) and they can get their old mom back. We can laugh and have some fun instead of all the grouchiness and me in bed 10 minutes after them. While getting back to normal will still mean some dinners out (I am no cook afterall:)), at least I can eat with them with a smile on my face.

How do your Tweens behave when you are under the weather? Are they helpful?

My tween Lincoln is a good boy!  We have taught him from day one how important it is to make good choices.  He is definitely not perfect, but for the most part, he is a good kid.

He is a second grader this year.  He has come home a few times, telling me about the little girls who like him.  He tells me who likes who and some of the silly things the girls will say.  He has always been incredibly open and honest with me.  We tease him that he isn’t aloud to have a girlfriend until he is 25!  He knows we are kidding, but at the same time, we counsel him to stay away from these silly girls and their crushes….he is too young.

As  I have mentioned earlier, our backyard is the neighborhood hangout.  Many of the neighborhood kids spend their evenings back there playing.  There is a certain little girl I have always loved.  Both my son and daughter enjoy playing with her and I think she is delightful.  I have come to the knowledge that she is pretty smitten with Lincoln.  I have never said anything until I saw her run into the house with Lincoln and lock the door.  Can you just hear how LOUD I stomped down that hallway…I did!!  Lincoln was on his way to get his Nerf gun and she had another plan!!   She and Lincoln received a lecture from me about how there are NO boys and girls in bedrooms with the door closed!!

Lincoln and I had a nice long talk after this situation.  He went on to tell me that she told him that she loves him.  Oh boy – I’m glad Lincoln has been taught from a young age what is acceptable and what is not.

Most importantly, I am grateful for the open communication I share with my tween so when situations like this happen…he is never CONFUSED!!  It is super tough growing up and I want to be there to help my tween as much as possible!!

Have you had these little ‘crush’ situations with your tween?  How have you handled it?

I wrote earlier about our need for a new, BIGGER car. Well, I have come to realize that our house is also closing in on us. Jake and Sam are only 6 and 7, but as they get older…many of the things they want and need get much bigger. This won’t be changing anytime soon. Our once roomy ranch that was great for preschoolers is not so great for tweens.

When we first moved in, the boys’ clothes were short…they hung so high in the closet, I could use all of the space underneath for toys. Now that they are in sizes 7 and 10….I have had to find other homes for many of their favorite things. They also have more homework now and both could use a desk. “Could use” and “will fit in their rooms” are two very different things   The desks will have to wait.

Sam’s latest passion is the drums. Do I need to tell you how much room those take up?!  With each passing day I feel more and more smothered. Don’t get me wrong..I still love our house. I love the location, the layout and that we have made it our home. I am just starting to realize that I could learn to love another, larger one really quickly With that in mind….we listed our house this past week.

I know it’s a slow time for the market but we planned to move next summer anyway. If we can sell the house now it is one less thing to worry about in the spring. An added benefit would be renting something with a little more space. So….wish us luck…….if we don’t have some room to spread out soon I may not be able to find the PC to blog anymore!

Are you feeling the space pinch now that the kids are getting older?

We had a busy weekend……in addition to the usual errands we had two birthday parties to attend. Both parties were at bowling alleys and Jake and Sam were excited about both. I expected them to be well behaved and polite for both events. What I did not expect was to be so proud of how both of them behaved with so many younger kids around.

My Two Big Boys

The first party was for one of my pre school students…he was turning 5 and I knew the kids attending would all be younger than Jake and Sam. I told them before we arrived that they needed to set an example and watch for the ‘little ones.” They did not disappoint…they made sure to watch out for smaller kids before they took to the lane each time and when it was time to head home they waited patiently for all of the younger kids to get goody bags before they took one. It made this mom smile

Our second party was for a classmate of Sam’s so there were more kids their age. There were, however, some younger siblings and Jake and Sam took it upon themselves to help one of them set up his ball ramp each time and hand him his ball. Jake even stepped up to help him get lined up and roll the ball. When he was done, the boys moved the ramp away and politely took their turns. Times like that make me think I may be doing an OK job at this mom thing

I know the boys will stumble and need to be reminded from time to time to mind their manners and be more polite. I also know that this weekend I did not need to do that. I am now a mom of two “big boys” and they showed me just how grown up they can be. Of course…..they fought on the way home about who would get xbox time first when we got home…..they are still works in progress

Was there a time your Tweens made you proud of their manners?