Neat, cleanteen and tween schemes

The teenage years are a strange transitory land. Even for ‘tween-agers’ (10-12) teetering on the edge of primary school playtimes before bounding into adolescence, it’s an emotional experience they cannot explain coherently.

What they do need is support and home is, as the blues song says, ‘a soft place to fall’.

Having a room they have real ownership of — to chill out, sleep, and hit the books — is one way you can help ease the transition into early adulthood. Opinions and tastes become far more apparent, so include your youngster in the decision-making. If some of the things you choose genuinely express something about the nature of the child, they may even go with them to their first home.