There is no right or wrong time for your kids to start leaving behind the more childish aspects of their life. It can happen gradually with their tastes and preferences, or how they choose to spend their time. Alternatively, it can happen so fast that you can't keep up with how they are feeling.
One day, dolls and toys seem really important; the next, they are discarded as being something for younger children. Letting your child explore these feelings in their own way can seem challenging when you have to face your own feelings about them growing up.
At the end of the day, you have to roll back your responsibilities as a parent to help your child grow into the person they are meant to be. Here are some ways to ease their path and connect with them while they go through this important transition.
Express Their Identity
This period in their lives is one where their identity is shaped. They'll embrace different trends and start to experiment with life. Each change will teach them more about who they are. You can make this process easier by accepting these different expressions of themselves.
Our appearance is one of the key ways we express who we are. While it might feel like they want to change their wardrobe every week, you can enable their desire to change their look through some occasional budget-friendly shopping. Get together to search online for sale items that will match their new style, and you'll form a strong bond while helping them be their own person.
Think for Themselves
Expressions of identity are one thing, but you might find that this phase is also when your children become most open to outside influences. Trying to dissuade them from believing other people without thinking deeply about what they are saying.
Encourage critical thinking from an early age as possible. It is an approach they can apply to the world to figure out things for themselves, rather than needing to rely on other people's ideas and opinions. The move from a passive participant to an active learner and thinker isn't easy, so your patience, support, and understanding will be required along the way.
Progress and Regress
Like any learning curve, there will be some steps forward and others that take them back a bit. Since this is a natural part of growing up, you can help them view it without any negativity. Children can miss the safety and comfort from their early years, even though they will fiercely demand and defend their independence.
You can accept this without judgment by not pointing it out to them. They might want to do something a bit more childish every now and then to remind themselves that they have your support, and don't need to do it alone. Welcome these moments without babying them, even though it will be challenging when they go back to being distant and more independent again.
You can help them by helping yourself. In order to express your feelings without it coming out the wrong way, you might want to talk to your partner, a friend, or other parents to make sense of the process.
Final Thoughts
You can be a part of this phase in your child's life, although ultimately, it is about them. The main thing to keep in mind is that you are helping them to figure things out for themselves in a safe and comfortable space.
This is an inevitable process, and none of it will be easy. Handled correctly, it can bring you closer together and help you both adjust to the new relationship you have.
