One minute your tween is laughing—the next, they’re slamming their bedroom door. Sound familiar? You’re not dealing with a “bad attitude.” You’re witnessing an emotional system in overdrive.
Tweens feel emotions intensely. Their brains are wired for big reactions, but not yet equipped to always regulate them. The good news? They can learn.
Why Tweens Struggle with Emotional Regulation
The amygdala (emotional center of our brain) is running the show much of the time during the tween years, while the prefrontal cortex (logical regulator) is still under construction.
This leads to:
In our course “Emotional You: Managing Your Emotions,” tweens learn how to understand what they’re feeling, why they’re feeling it, and how to handle emotions in healthy, confident ways. Through interactive lessons, they practice:
It’s not about avoiding emotions — it’s about giving tweens the tools to understand them, manage them, and use them to make healthier choices.
Looking for simple ways to support your tween this year? Explore our free eBook library — designed to give parents and kids practical tools for building confidence, emotional skills, and a healthy growth mindset.