Now that your Eighth Grade child is firmly ensconced in her adolescent life, it may seem like the perfect time to "take a break" from active parenting; her behavior may be signaling that she'd like you to bug off anyway. But now is a very important time for you to stick around: Research shows that the more involved a child's parent is during her adolescent experience, the less likely the child is to find solace in drugs, early sexual experimentation or other potentially dangerous activities. (full article.)

Things to do with your Eighth Grader