Alison Curtis: Navigating the tween years and learning to let go

I have to push myself to recognise that our relationship is going to change and that these moments are going to become more scarce

Alison Curtis

I have spoken a lot in this column about encouraging independence in our kids and in my own daughter Joan who turned 10 this year. I have been honest in saying I am finding it hard to balance helping her learn how to do more for herself all the while still wanting her to need me.

The rational side of me knows that this is the normal and healthy sequence of events that she will more and more each year need me less for the day to day things to get by but that she will always need me, hopefully, to support her emotionally.