Raising kids is tough, but one could argue that the middle school years are the most difficult. Author, coach, teacher, and parent, Joe Bruzzese, has chimed in on the subject and it's no surprise that people are listening. Be sure to watch his recent interview on ABC's Good Morning Maryland.

You may be asking yourself, "So, what makes Mr. Bruzzese an expert on the middle school years?"

For starters, Bruzzese has worked for the last 15 years at helping kids with their relationships at school and at home. With a Master's degree in education and a national athletic coaching license, he co-founded Thinking-Forward, a company that provides both coaching services and parent presentations. Joe also holds a position of professorship in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California Santa Barbara.

For many reasons, Bruzzese says that the middle school years pose the biggest challenge for both kids and parents. Acting as a bridge between childhood and adulthood, everything in their world seems to change during middle school. Adding to this challenge is that the world itself has changed tremendously since most of us were teenagers. From the Internet to cell phones, technology has added a whole new wrinkle to the process

Bruzesse is convinced that the key to a healthy middle school experience for children is two-fold. It is not only about the child's transition from dependence to independence, but also your transition from authoritarian to coach.

Some of the topics Bruzzese addresses in his book, A Parents' Guide to the Middle School Years, are making friends at school, relating to teachers, mastering academics, balancing school with extra-curricular activities, keeping kids safe, and maintaining a sense of family.

If you have a child who's approaching the middle school years, we suggest a proactive approach. And there's no better place to start than by receiving a little advice from an expert. To learn more, visit Joe Bruzzese online at http://thinking-forward.typepad.com/my_weblog/.