It used to be that parents struggled through the teenage years, but now the problems start much earlier. The fifteen year olds of yesterday are the eleven year olds of today.
Experts call it the tween years, that new pre-adolescence period between age eight and twelve.
Kids are physically reaching puberty on average two years earlier than they did two decades ago. Not only are kids maturing physically at a faster rate, they are also taking on adult attitudes and behavior before they are capable of handling it emotionally. Dr. Sara O'Heron, a matenal and child health specialist, says there is an attitude that goes along with looking older. There's a sense that I should know more, therefore, I should act more as an adult even though I am not. Kids are flattered when people think they are older than they are, but parents are concerned.