Parents of middle school children often ponder why a once-loving child seems to change, almost overnight, as puberty approaches. A formerly sweet child now sulks.
Respect turns to belligerence and intelligent behavior gives way to irresponsible conduct.
For many parents of middle school children, the terrible twos would be a welcome change from the turbulent teens. Timothy Neville, principal of Kennedy Middle School in Enfield, Connecticut, said parents are often filled with anxiety and concern when children become teenagers. Parents often tell Neville their child was fine until he or she got to middle school. Lots of things happen when kids become teens. Linda Gademan, the librarian at Kennedy Middle School, and Kathy Kowalenko, the library's media-specialist, wanted to find a way to help parents better understand the middle school child.