Change is scary, especially when it involves your children. There's a first time for just about everything, but as many seasoned parents will note, they wish that some of these "first times" could be postponed until a later date!

As children's bodies change and mature, hormones kick in, and social pressures abound, our kids tend to have one thing in common — wanting to stretch the previously safe, agreed-upon boundaries and add all kinds of activities to their repertoire of desires and needs. Your fifth-grader probably loves to shop with you at the mall, but your 16-year-old would most likely prefer to go with her friends. Family movies were cool when your son was younger, but now as a ninth-grader he's pleading to be dropped off, of course without your scoping out the situation, and to link up with his buddies at the show.

What's a parent to do? Well, start with trying to be smart by picking your battles, listen to your child to understand where he or she is coming from, be ready to grow the rules with the kid and know what your limits are and stick to them. Also, discuss with your child how trustworthiness and usage of common sense are extremely important attributes when considering the independence-seeking that he or she is engaged in. I've found with my own two kids, as well as with many of the families that I work with in my clinical practice, that compromise and consistency are key parental behaviors. Now, let's take a look at some of the most common, and perhaps anxiety-producing, firsts for our kids: