The push is on. The end is near. The finish line is in sight. For many of you, your child has two months left of school. You’re. Almost. There.

My best advice: stay on the same team as the teachers–especially if you’re dealing with a ‘tween.

Parents of ‘tweens (10- to 14-year-olds) not only have to deal with the changes in their relationships with their children, but they also have to confront the changes in their relationships with their children’s teachers. Many of you served as PTO presidents or created costumes for school plays. You felt welcomed in your child’s classroom; you were needed and wanted.  Now, you don’t feel welcome in your child’s bedroom, let alone his/her classroom. Yet, you are assets-to both teachers and your kids-when you become allies.

Parent-teacher communication is just as important in middle school as it is in elementary school-maybe even more so.  Parents, teachers, and students are in this thing together.  With the end of a successful school year just weeks away, hang in there and keep the lines of communicatino open. It’s not always easy but it’s as important as ever.

It wasn’t too long along that your tween was singing those very Beyonce lyrics with her iPod affixed to her ears. And guess what? It was probably dangerously loud! That’s why the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) is urging teens to “Turn it To the Left” in an awareness campaign about the dangers of hearing loss.

In fact, more than 5 million 6- to 19-year-olds have noise-induced hearing loss, often simply because they don’t keep their music’s volume to a minimum, they say. Here’s what you as a parent can do to help prevent this unnecessary health issue:

• Make sure they turn down the volume whenever they listen to music, especially while wearing headphones or riding in the car.
• Buy portable media or music players with “volume limiters” (they may come with the device or can be bought separately).
• Encourage your kids to give their ears a rest once in a while if they don headphones all the time.
• Have them wear ear protection (earplugs or earmuffs) when using machinery — like in metal or wood shop at school, or while mowing the lawn.
• Ask them to consider wearing earplugs at concerts, especially if they’re sitting anywhere near the stage or speakers. They’ll still be able to hear the music — it just won’t be as deafening. And they don’t need to worry about their image — most earplugs are so tiny that no one will even notice they’re there.
• Turn on toys to check out their volume. If you hold it up to your ears and it hurts, don’t buy it. If it’s already in your kids’ toy bin, take out the batteries and/or put tape over the speakers, says the U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs).
• Emphasize the importance of moving away from any noise that’s uncomfortable.

You should speak to your pediatrician if you notice your child has difficulty hearing normal volumes, complains of ringing in the ears, or if you notice unusual speech development.

Who turns up the volume in your home — you, your kids, or your spouse?