Helping Your Child through Early Adolescence

Early adolescence can be a challenging time for children and parents alike.
Parents often feel unprepared and they may view the years from 10
through 14 as a time just “to get through.” However, research and
common sense tell us that this view is very limited. During the early
adolescent years, parents and families can greatly influence the growth
and development of their children. We sell our children short if we expect
little from them and we sell ourselves short if we believe that we have no
influence.
A growing awareness that young adolescents can accomplish a great deal
is behind a national effort to improve education in America’s middle
grades. At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a promise to
raise standards for all children and to help all children meet those
standards. In support of this goal, President George W. Bush is committed
to promoting the very best teaching programs. Well-trained teachers and
instruction that is based on research can bring the best teaching
approaches and programs to children of all ages and help ensure that no
child is left behind. Helping Your Child through Early Adolescence is part of
the president’s efforts to provide parents with the latest research and
practical information that can help you support your children both at
home and in school.
It’s not easy to raise a young teen. Many outside influences distract our
children and complicate our efforts. Exhaustion, anxiety, a lack of support
and limited resources may make it hard for us to be all that we want to be
for our children. But whatever the challenges, we share one aim: to do
the best job possible as parents. We hope that you will find this booklet
helpful in achieving this goal.