As many of you know the last few months I have been participating in the Kotex Tween Ambassador Program.  I am sad to say this is my last post in the series. I really enjoyed the last few months sharing tips and hearing about how other moms of tweens and teens handle their daughter’s first period!  I also learned that we all handle things different when it comes to talking and preparing our girls.  However we do share that one common goal that we want to make these transitions in our daughter’s life as smooth as we can.

This Ambassador program was one of my favorites by far.  I totally could relate and connect with other parents that are dealing with the same things. Most bloggers tend to have younger children so we never really see ambassador programs or blog tours to cater around tweens and teens.  I feel that this campaign opened up the communication lines between mothers and daughters.   My daughter also enjoyed the campaign because I let her help me cover the topics that she felt was important for other moms or tweens that are just starting this process.   I am so happy to see that our generation is actually talking more about these issues and preparing girls even before they start their period.  I know when I was younger that was just something that was not openly talked about in till you started and even then it was just the basics.

I can’t start to tell you how much I appreciate all Kotex has done to help parents and teens have open conversations about periods on their page at www.kotex.com/tween . This site is a great reference to prepare for your talk with your daughter and then they have www.ubykotex.com/helloperiod  that is perfect for tweens and teens that have questions or they can even read other teen’s stories about their period. We need to let these girls know periods are normal and it’s not something they should be embarrassed about.

With the new Kotex tween products specially made for young girls they can carry their pads and tampons in style.  by Kotex Tween* pads come in vibrant colors and patterns, have a special cover to ensure they stay dry, plus an absorbent core to lock fluid away and help prevent leaks. These are perfect! My daughter loves them and is not embarrassed to carry them in her bag. So make sure to pick  up your daughter some and give them a try!

Remember it’s our job as moms to prepare our girls. As Mother’s we only give our children facts and the truth.  Don’t trust anyone else to handle a topic like this that is so important.

I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

We are already in our 2^nd nine weeks of the school year and I must admit it has been hectic!  I admit this year I have been struggling to keep it all together!  Work, kid’s homework and sports have me trying to find helpful ways to get us back on track!  I recently learned that Tyson® Any’tizers® snacks created a “School Year Survival Guide” tab on its Facebook page that contains a ton of helpful tips.  After reading the tips and also reading other peoples comments, I seen I was not alone!  I found some great tips that I will be using in the next few weeks.

I admit I really thought I was organized and ready for this school year! However, I find myself struggling just to keep up with my 2 middle schoolers schedules not including the baby.  Before the school year started I created our “schedule”.  The first few weeks went flawlessly then sports and extra activates started so reality sit in.  My kids were not on the same schedule anymore and our only off day is Sunday!   We were scrambling to think of how we were going to keep all of us on the same schedule and still get the kids to their activities without running around frantically. At first, it was a nightmare!

We started looking for ways to manage our family’s schedule so we could plan our trips, work schedules and other appointments accordingly. One of the things that we started doing was to set aside 30 minutes every Sunday afternoon to discuss the family calendar for the upcoming week. We go around the table and talk about practices, games and extra-curricular activities that each kid has for the next seven days. I learned really fast that things change so it’s better for us to do 7 days at a time instead of a monthly schedule!  We still have our monthly calendar filled out but this time allows us to make sure we are still on schedule and re-arrange something if needed.  Then I type the weekly schedule and post it on the fridge.

In addition to having a calendar hanging on the fridge, we also sync our calendars on all of our phones during our Sunday afternoon discussion. Now everybody can check their calendar wherever they are so they can see if there is a scheduling conflict when something else comes up during the week. I also like that when the kids are given an important date at school they can type it in their calendar and it automatically goes to everyone.

Since Sunday is our really off day we also make sure the kids clothes are ironed and picked for the following week, our weekly dinner menu is planned out, easy to grab healthy snacks are in place, the kids rooms are cleaned and everything is organized before Sunday night. These small but very important tasks have helped so much.  However, I am now ready to take it a step further by using some of the tips I seen in the Tyson School Year Survival Guide.

If you are looking for more survival skills to get through the school year make sure to check out Tyson® Any’tizers® snacks “School Year Survival Guide”.  And don’t forget to check back in a couple of weeks to see which ones we put to the test!

Being a parent of a teen should come with an instruction guide. You probably thought that the hard part was over once your child grew out of their diapers and they were able to take care of themselves a little more. But now that they are getting into their tween and teen years, you’re figuring out that the parenting job is just beginning. Fortunately, you can find tips to surviving during this tumultuous time in their lives so you can come through the experience with a better understanding of your growing adolescent.

Educate Yourself

Let’s face it – it’s different being a tween or teenager today that it was when you were growing up. While some of the basic problems you went through still exist today, some of those problems are more widespread than they were a couple decades ago. For instance, the internet makes it much easier to bully a teenager today. Someone can set up an anonymous account and post things online for all of their classmates to see. This is called cyberbullying and it affects many teenagers every year. By knowing a little more about what your adolescent is going through, you can learn of ways to deal with it productively so you can be there for them.

Respect Their Privacy

One of the most difficult things you might have to do as a parent is respecting your teen’s privacy. You can use the excuse that everything they do is your business, but that’s not going to help them grow into a responsible young adult. As tempting as it might be at times, you should allow them to have their own space, including private phone calls, texts and emails. Their room should also remain private. This will help you build trust with your developing teen.

Offer Rewards

Teens and adolescents like to know that their efforts are being noticed. If they consistently abide by their curfew on weekends, consider extending that curfew an extra 30 or 60 minutes to show them that you appreciate their efforts at being trustworthy. If they are doing well in school, reward them by letting them stay home while the family goes an on outing every once in a while. Let them know what their expectations are and if they consistently meet those expectations, show them your appreciation by giving them something that they want.

The main thing to remember is that the tween and teen years only last for a little while. Eventually, they will grow out of this difficult phase. But the relationship you build with them during this difficult time will often dictate your relationship as they grow into adulthood.