Sadness in
Tweens
Tweens are like chocolates. you never know which kind of their personalities you are going to get. @perfectpending
Things you can say to your tween
“Tell me more.”
“What do you need right now to help support you?”
“It seems like what you are saying is ____________ (repeat word for word what they are saying).”
“It sounds like you are feeling ______________ (sad, hurt, confused, etc). I can see how that would make you sad (try to empathize here).”
Your tween is going through a lot, physically and emotionally. Their body is producing hormones necessary to develop into adults. With this, your tween will display emotions that may not make sense to you at all. Give you tween time to process and check in on them and also remember that their emotions are normal and can be expected.
Strategies to try at home
Leave a love note for your tween. Keep it short and to the point. Tell them you love them or something that you love about them.
Have your tween come up with two things they love about themselves every night. Put the affirmations on a post it and have them hang it where they'd like.
Have your tween keep a feelings journal. A lot of the times your tween doesn't know what they are feeling. Identifying the feeling will allow them to pick a coping strategy to deal with the feeling.