Makuha ka sa tingin—but what if it’s your tween who’s giving you a mean side eye? That’s exactly what Jake Ejercito shared on his Twitter account. On August 30, 2022 he posted two photos of him and daughter Ellie buying candies at an open market. The first shows Ellie giving him “the look” and the second shows Jake giving in to his daughter.
“‘No' to ‘Ok boss’ real quick #underdesaya” he tweets as a caption. It looks like Jake tried to tell Ellie that she couldn’t buy the candies she was asking for, operative word try. All dad needed was to get a stink eye from his tween daughter to know she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Jake Ejercito's Twitter followers loved how Ellie looked at her dad.PHOTO BY TWITTER /UNOEMILIOJake’s Twitter followers enjoyed his post and parents of tweens and teens will know exactly what it’s like for their developing children to “boss them around” in some ways.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThe next day Jake also posted on Twitter a side-by-side photo of him and Ellie from 2015 taken in Araneta and a current photo, recreating the pose 7 years ago but this time in Barcelona. Looks like Jake flew to Europe to spend some time with Ellie who’s also currently vacationing with mom Andi and fiance Philmar Alipayo, plus her siblings Koa and Lily.
RELATED: Andi Eigenmann, Kids Meet And Bond With Philmar Alipayo's Son In France On Papa's Birthday
The father-and-daughter tandem recreate their own photo, seven years later.PHOTO BY TWITTER /UNOEMILIOParenting tips for tweens
Child Mind Institute provides a number of tips and reminders of parents of preteens. Developmentally, tween children seek independence and acceptance but are still too young to be left to their own to make major decisions about their lives.
The tween years are also the years when a parent feels that their “baby” is “suddenly different”. Here are a few tips if your child is at this age.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch now3 parenting tips for tweens
1. Accept their need for independence.
“It’s appropriate for kids this age to start turning away from their parents and relying more and more on friends, but parents can take their pre-teen’s withdrawal as rejection,” says the site. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a Harvard psychologist, school consultant and author of The Big Disconnect, says to Child Mind Institute that “All too often parents personalize some of the distance that occurs and misinterprets it as a willful refusal or maybe oppositional behavior.”
Remember that it is developmentally appropriate for your tween child to crave for more independence. But finding the balance of what they can handle and what satisfies their need is key.2. Try the indirect approach.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Laura Kirmayer says the direct approach was okay during the child’s younger years but at this phase, it will feel intrusive to them. Going in even harder with the same approach will likely backfire.
Instead, practice your listening skills and think of yourself as a listener. “If you actually just sit down, without questions, and just listen, you’re more likely to get the information about your child’s life that you’re wanting.”
She adds that this approach will communicate to preteen children that they are welcome to talk and have permission to say anything they are thinking and how they truly feel.
3. Avoid solving the problem right away.
Dr. Kirmayer advises that parents may want to provide advice when children open up their feelings and thoughts. But avoid stepping in and solving all their problems as if they are toddlers. Allowing your tween child to sort through their personal problems can help them.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWParents may instead respond by empathizing with your tween child about how difficult it is to deal with what they’re going through. Put yourself in their shoes—a fight with a friend can seem petty and easy to brush off as an adult but not when you’re a tween. Avoid minimizing their problems and making them feel like their concerns are “so small” compared to adult problems.
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