Letting go is the most difficult thing a parent can do. Your instincts are to protect your child; he wants to go it alone.

Your pre-teen thinks he's almost an adult but you know he's hardly out of infant school. Start now with basics, and later on the bigger steps will be easier for both of you.

Letting go
When your child learned to ride a bicycle, the time came to let go of the saddle, even though you feared your child might fall off and hurt himself.

Similarly, as a parent of a pre-teen, you have to let go and take the risk that your child will make a mistake. Experience is the best teacher. All of us learn from the consequences of our decisions. Without this learning, your pre-teen won't be prepared to take the challenges of adolescence in his stride.

• Neutralising Common Pre-Teen Flashpoints
• Disagree With Your Pre-Teen Without Falling Out
• Arguing With Pre-Teens: What NOT To Say
• Parenting Pre-Teens: Fixing Damaged Relationships