Uses for Preteen Journaling—

Growing up in a pre-teen world can be a scary experience for many young people. Although there is anticipation for what lies ahead there also exists, simultaneously, an apprehension about the future. Most adults can relate in some small way to these feelings of excitement, mixed with the fear of growing up because it is all part of the life process. Since many parents have an idea of what it’s like growing up in a modern society we can encourage our children to write, in their journals, about their own fears, as well as what excites them about the life they’re living.

Helping a pre-teen overcome fears, especially those of an interpersonal nature, can be a challenge for any parent. What does a parent say to their pre-teen who has feelings for someone of the opposite sex, for example? Of course, both mom and dad have their valid input as to the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. However, we don’t understand, according to our pre-teens.

And yes, we can talk to our pre-teens about the birds and the bees, but this often leaves our child looking at us quizzically, like we’re coming from another planet, with a limited understanding of their situation. Can you visualize how frustrating a situation this can be for a parent when their pre-teen looks at them as if they’re an alien? Or maybe you do not need to visualize and know first hand how a pre-teen can react to the “talk”. Words of regret can sometimes be easily spoken in these moments if we’re not careful as we try to help our children.

When we, as parents, find ourselves looking into the eyes of our pre-teen, you are facing that young person’s social fear. When this happens you may hear a whisper for a need for understanding. We can use that whispered plea to encourage that youth to write in their journals about those fears and feelings of uncertainty. Feelings of fear and uncertainty are very common among pre-teens and what truly matters is how we as parents, help our children direct those feelings. That is what fear is, a feeling and nothing more and journaling about the feeling will help a pre-teen control how that emotion with affect them.

The power of the feeling of fear can be overwhelming for a pre-teen. We have all seen and/or heard of those young people who have taken their own lives because of issues related to fear. When a young person is harassed or made to feel less than normal or accepted by their peers, that fear of personal inadequacy can develop and a pre-teen my see no other choice than to end their life. A way a parent can handle this is to encourage their pre-teen to write about these sometimes overwhelming feelings and help them deal with them constructively and not destructively.

Your pre-teen will come out on the other side of every fearful event. This is another fact of life. We enter challenging events, all of us, and come out on the other side, maybe a little bruised and scratched, but we always come out of them one way or another. This process generally results in some degree of personal growth. The pre-teen who is aware of this natural process, and then writes about it in their journal, is more apt to transcend fears in a more balanced manner. Those pre-teens who don’t are likely to struggle a little more with their fears.