An essential guide for parents and caregivers, this book offers insights, strategies, and understanding to navigate middle childhood (ages 6–12). Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, a seasoned clinical psychologist and mother, highlights ways to foster resilience, encourage open communication, and build lasting connections during this crucial period.

There is a pivotal sea change happening in children’s development. The age of puberty has been trending earlier for decades, and now starts as young as 8 years old in girls and 9 in boys. Bullying doesn’t just happen on the playground, but over text and DM. Depression and anxiety are drastically on the rise. Couple earlier puberty with ill-equipped, developing brains and the onslaught of new media and stressors that never existed when we were kids, and it’s clear that parents need a new guide to raise this new generation.

The Crucial Years is your essential handbook to navigating the often misunderstood and overlooked years of middle childhood (ages 6–12). As a mom and clinical psychologist, Dr. Sheryl Ziegler knows firsthand how challenging these years can be—yet she also recognizes that this is a tender age and pivotal opportunity to connect with your child before adolescence. Dr. Ziegler masterfully unlocks the enigma surrounding modern puberty and offers evidence-based strategies, interventions, and answers to middle childhood’s most perplexing questions and concerns. In these pages, she provides:

• Science-based advice to recognize the first signs of puberty and navigate the changes to come.
• Candid and actionable guidance for getting your kids to talk about anxiety, depression, and their complicated feelings.
• Insight into the changing world of gender and sexual identity, and how to guide your child through this complicated new landscape.
• A thoughtful and sensitive discussion of how race intersects with puberty and mental health, and how all parents can approach this mindfully and inclusively.
• A clear explanation of the invisible threads linking mood swings, self-image, and social media exposure.
• Road-tested, real-world guidance to handle bullies, mean girls, and other friendship and social challenges.

With The Crucial Years, you have all that you need to guide your child through the hazards and thrills of puberty and help them emerge as well-rounded, confident young adults.