My eldest boy turned 10 a few months ago and I’m still denying it. Gah! My son is a pre-teen!

When your child becomes a preteen overnight, you stop and think – when did this happen?! My son is officially a tween.

He’ll catch me staring at him because I can’t stop looking at all the changes he’s undergoing. He’s looking less like a kid and more like an adolescent.

I can’t help but feel nostalgic as he teeters between being a kid and wanting to be a cool pre-teenager. My child is growing up right before my eyes.

When we cuddle, his toes reach mine. I sure can’t carry him anymore, or even give him a piggy-back ride.

When I compare his size to that of my eight-year-old, I know that I have to cherish my boys even more now, if that’s even possible. I can still hold my youngest in my arms, carry him (not for long periods but still) and he can curl up in my lap.

My 1o-year-old boy turning into young a man? Not so much. His feet are getting to be as big as mine.

His toys are pretty much untouched… except for his complicated Lego creations. He’s much rather listen to music, play on his iPod or watch Minecraft videos on YouTube. And hockey – watch hockey, play hockey, talk about hockey… everything is about hockey.

We can sit together and have a full conversation about anything. I love hearing what he has to say. We can hang out, watch a movie, and go to a restaurant – just the two of us. He’s responsible for his own things, and he takes extra pride when organizing his hockey medals and trophies.

But don’t even think about hugging or kissing him in public! I can’t sing or dance in the dressing room at hockey practice because I’ll embarrass him, God forbid!

Did you know that tweens also have attitude? That is probably the most challenging. The “I know everything” phase drives me crazy and I know it’ll only get worse as he enters the teenage years.

My son is prepubescent and I’m just waiting for him to suddenly grown two inches and his voice to change even more overnight. At 10 years of age, I know that he’s maturing, not only physically but emotionally. He’s beginning to develop a sense of who he really is.

During this phase, he may be going through the hormonal changes that are common with the beginning of puberty. I can imagine that he’s feeling stress with school work, friendships, performing well on his hockey team and his “pesky” little brother at home.

When you have children, you know they’re going to grow up. Obviously. But still, nothing prepares you for when you’re actually going through each and every phase. No matter how many books and articles you read, or how much advice you receive, when you’re experiencing things first-hand, you can still feel like you have no freaking clue what you’re doing as a parent.

You can only hope that you’re doing the best you possibly can to raise your children to be respectful, kindhearted and compassionate adults.