Parenting Your 6th Grader

I can’t believe in a few short weeks my middle son is graduating Elementary School. That means I only have 364 more weeks with him before he’s all grown up and moving on to other things besides high school.

Time sure does fly. They grow up so fast. And all that jazz.

I realize that I’ve been through this before with my oldest son, but this feels different. It might be my own stage of life creeping in to give me “all the feels.” I don’t know, but I feel like I can empathize with parents more now that I’m going through this as well. Maybe it’s because we have a rather large group of upcoming 6th graders in our student ministry. Maybe it’s because I’m established at our church now and can really think about these things. I don’t know.

But because we are trying to help families through this at our church, I was reading through a book by Orange called “Parenting Your Sixth Grader” (affiliate link).

Here are four quick takeaways:

1. By the time you have a 6th grader, there are only 364 weeks left until they graduate. What you do this week is important.
2. Sixth grade is a phase filled with change and inconsistency. And that’s ok. Just be ready.
3. Every kid needs: love, stories, work, fun, tribes, and words.
4. Important Sixth grade conversations revolve around: healthy habits, sexual integrity, technological responsibility, and authentic faith.

The book is really a workbook for parents. It has a lot of space to write in. You can read it quickly, but implementing the ideas in it take time. I’d recommend it as a guide to help you think through the important things during this phase of life.

Have you read this book? What do you think?