Page 13 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 4 2025

ESTATE NEWS
THE BIG PICTURE
ESTATE MATTERS
TODAY'S CHILD
WHAT’S HAPPENING
UNDERNEATH IT ALL
Neurologically, the tween brain is rewiring WHY THIS STAGE MATTERS MORE THAN WE THINK
itself. Their emotional sensitivity is rising, The tween years aren’t just an awkward gap between primary school and
but their ability to regulate and express puberty. They’re the roots of emotional intelligence. The place where empathy
those emotions is still developing. Their begins to deepen, and the ability to hold contradiction starts to emerge. They’re
sense of self is stretching beyond the learning to say: I was hurt, but I still care. I want to fit in, but I don’t want to lose
family unit. They crave independence — myself. I need you, but I also want space.
but also need structure and reassurance.
It’s a paradox, and they live it daily. This is not nothing.

They are beginning to map the terrain of It’s sacred ground.
human connection: testing what makes
someone trustworthy, learning how far And the way we walk with them through it — gently, consistently, without
forgiveness can stretch, trying to balance dismissing their experience — becomes part of the story they tell themselves
loyalty with self-respect. And they are about who they are and how they belong in the world.
doing it all while still being expected to So if your child seems caught in a tangle of emotions and friendship fallouts,
remember their homework and brush don’t try to rush them through it. Sit with them. Steady the atmosphere.
their teeth.
This is the middle.
SO HOW DO WE HOLD SPACE
FOR THEM? And even though it’s messy — it’s where they’re becoming.
• Meet them with presence,
not panic
When your child says “I have no
friends,” don’t rush to solve it.
Hold the space. Ask, “Do you
want help fixing it, or just to
talk it out?” Let them feel safe
enough to unravel the knot on
their own.

• Translate feelings into
language
Give emotional vocabulary
where it’s missing: “You sound
disappointed,” “That must’ve
stung,” “It’s okay to feel left out
— everyone does sometimes.”
Language gives form to chaos.

• Watch how they speak
about others
The way tweens talk about
friends is often a mirror of how
they’re learning to think about
themselves. If your child is being
harsh or unkind, gently explore
what fear or insecurity might be
hiding beneath the surface.

• Model repair
Show them that conflict doesn’t
mean collapse. Talk about how
you work through disagreements
with friends or colleagues.
Let them see that healthy
relationships bend, stretch — and
sometimes break — but they can
also heal.
• Keep their world wider
than one group
Whether it’s through clubs,
cousins, or creative spaces, offer
multiple streams of belonging.
When one social current runs
dry, another still flows.

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