Too often adult care models are mapped onto children for mental health, but that strategy ignores the unique needs of children and strains the system at the same time. The industry needs to start shifting collectively to a ground-up method. Let’s get into what that is, how it can happen, and why it’s necessary.

Talking to kids about sex and sexuality can feel daunting, but it’s a crucial part of guiding them toward informed, healthy relationships. From learning how to set boundaries to tackling tough topics like pornography, the most important thing we can do is create judgment-free conversations — turning an awkward talk into a lasting dialogue.

First crushes can be enchanting: full of cafeteria whispers, playground antics, and “circle Yes or No” notes passed back and forth. For caregivers though, these crushes can come like a gust of wind — a reality check that your little cuddle buddy is approaching the age where they might cuddle someone else. To be the best support you can during these formative years, it helps to be prepared.

The inflection years herald changing behaviors, new social dynamics, and perhaps most notably, a lot of physical growth. As adults, we can take these changes for granted, often comparing them to our own experience — but every child's inflection years are unique to them. Being prepared for all the challenges they might face makes it easier to face them together.

It’s hard to believe, but starting as young as 8 years old, we can start to see the signs of adolescence creeping in. You might be thinking, “but they’re not even a tween yet!” But the inflection years range from as early as 8-years-old to as late as 15-years-old. Navigating these times can feel precarious, but it’s a lot easier when you know what you’re in for and how to get through it.

To succeed in school, kids need to be able to make a plan to balance studying, activities, and their social lives. It’s easy for parents to step in and do the planning for them, but doing so means kids never learn that critical skill for themselves. Here’s when to step in, and more importantly, how to step back.

Parenting during the tween years can feel like a demotion as your once-clingy child begins to push for independence and distance themselves from your influence. But this phase isn’t about rejection—it’s about growth.

As kids begin to define themselves through friendships, they become increasingly vulnerable to exploitative social entanglements, online and in real life. While parents must let kids explore the social waters independently, communicating about and modeling healthy relationship dynamics at home is essential during this development phase.

As Inflection-aged kids move from proximity-based friendships to interest-based connections facilitated by social media, parents should emphasize the importance of communication, compatibility, and boundaries.

Parents should guide kids through the post-election charged atmosphere by nurturing empathy and resilience. Encouraging open conversations about values and emotions helps kids build a strong sense of civic identity, preparing them to engage with the world thoughtfully and compassionately.

Parents cannot meet all their kid's emotional and physical needs alone. Encouraging kids to build relationships with trusted adults outside the family ensures they have additional resources to help them navigate the inflection years' dramatic changes.

A child's defiance during the inflection years is a normal and necessary part of development: Parents can remain connected with their kids by initiating awkward conversations, being vulnerable, and admitting to their fallibility.

Parents and caregivers should blend empathy, honesty, mutually agreed-upon boundaries, and incentives to protect their kids from the harmful effects of social media and excessive time on screen.

The inflection years – when a child begins to seek validation from their peers rather than their parents—an increasing, social media-driven phenomenon.