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Emotional development from 5 to 16: what is normal at each stage

15 min read

Three children of different ages (about 7, 11, and 14) at a community football training, each at a visibly different developmental stage: a younger child tying boots at the sideline, a mid-childhood player jogging to a drill, and an older adolescent walking off the pitch alone.

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Your 11 year old came home from a Saturday game and walked straight to their room without saying a word. Your 7 year old, on a different Saturday, cried for fifteen minutes in the car because the team did not win. Your 14 year old sat through a whole car ride home and you could not work out whether they were angry, embarrassed, or fine.

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