Middle school can be a total drag. You remember, right? The friendship problems, the unrequited crushes, the hormone changes, the body image issues — all those overwhelming moments and feelings happening at the very same time.

One psychologist on TikTok says she “doesn’t take 7th graders” because they’re “not that much fun,” but can you blame them? They’re navigating the wild west of junior high with an underdeveloped brain!

Dr. Lucie Hemmen might not dip her toe in the tween and early teen pond, but she has some hopeful messages for parents who feel in the thick of it!

Responding to a comment from a parent who said that 7th grade with her daughter has been “the worst,” Hemmen said, “This comment about seventh grade being the worst reminds me, really reminds me that I don’t post enough on young teens. And let me tell you, as a psychologist, I don’t even take them in my practice because they’re not that much fun.”

“Sorry, they’re not that much fun because they just don’t have the insight yet. They don’t connect the dots yet. Bless their hearts. I know people specialize in that. They do a really good job. I like older teens.”

She continued, “And here’s the great news for you: Seventh grade is not predictive of who your kids are going to be like, what their social lives are going to be, even their athleticism. So many kids, you think, Oh, okay, so my kid’s not an athlete. And then later they are.”

“Six, seventh, eighth grade are really, really hard times for, I would say, most teenagers. So, if you are getting through them, bless your heart, know that what you’ve got now is not what you’re going to have later.’

In the comment section, parents sounded off on Hemmen’s insights on 7th graders.

“My daughter just got out of 8th grade and let me say, the last 2 years have been terrible. Looking forward to high school years and hoping she finds herself a bit more then. ❤,️” one mom wrote.

The OP replied, “So much settles down as they get older! Hang in there. 💛💛”

Another echoed, “Grades 5-8 are all pretty challenging.”

“Yes, because team pressures are striking, younger and younger,” Dr. Hemmen responded.

Another parent assured, “My daughter at 13 is different human than who she is at 19 😂 it’s gets so much better guys lol”

One parent wrote, “As a former teacher, we called the 7th graders the “middle child” of jr high/middle school. It’s very fitting…such an awkward year!”

“7th grade was the worst for me. Kids were so cruel. I failed math. Now I have two degrees and work at a Princeton affiliated company. Don’t get mad at them, just be there. Help them through it,” another said.

To any parent feeling like those hard and draining tween and early teen years will never end, there is light at the end of the tunnel!