Three Things Your Tween Girl Needs
The word “tween” begs for grace.
Life between childhood and young adulthood.
Life lived with newness, uncertainties, and sometimes awkwardness.
It’s a season that only makes sense to those who have long ago passed through it.
What can you do for your tween as she wades through the delightful yet murky years between?
First of all… Remember.
Think back to the days you too struggled. Remember the emotions? The obsessions? The embarrassment that you still enjoyed childish activities, yet also longed to be taken seriously?
Secondly… Pray.
There are times when our tweens excel at revealing human depravity and self-centeredness! Even when they’re being raised in the nurture and instruction of the Lord, they struggle with deep spiritual questions and doubts, defensiveness, and self-righteousness. They have a hard time seeing themselves as they really are. (As we all do!)
Being grounded in God’s Word is crucial. As is prayer. Our “faithgirlz” are growing out of spoon-fed spirituality.
Pray that they will hunger and thirst for the Lord and His Word. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts and change their perspective.
While we can draw boundaries, He is the only one can transform from the inside out.
Thirdly… Take the time to really see them.
Because our tweens are in-between, our attention often gets sucked up by little ones or teenagers with the “big life issues.”
Our tweens might fight off our affection and attention one moment, yet desperately crave it the next. They need lots of grace.
And they need for us to look them straight in the eyes, listen to their concerns, and see them. Not only for who they are, but for who God is developing them into.
As you remember your own tween years, pray for your daughter, and take the time to really see her, keep in mind how gracious our Heavenly Father is with us. We’re “tween” too. Between saved and sanctified.
When we stop and think it through, we’ve got a lot in common with our girls!
