Growing Up

In this programme we follow several of our children preparing to become teenagers and see how their parents and grandparents will cope! Having followed our children from tiny babies through to pre-teen tearaways, viewers will now get to hear them articulate their feelings about life more eloquently. We discover how they have coped with bullying, with having a famous mum or with learning to live with money worries. The children's bodies and brains are changing, and their interviews are illustrated with not only their lives today but our rich archive, giving us a unique view into the past. All our families take part in both programmes but this one predominantly features Helena, the only survivor of triplets born extremely prematurely; Parys, whose mum Alison Lapper is a famous artist; forthright Yorkshire girl Rhianna; technology-loving Taliesin; Het, from Wembley in London, who has big ambitions; farm girl Megan; Matthew from Surrey, whose family are preparing for a great change in their lives; Scottish twins Alex and Ivo; and sports-mad William from Settle. The programme looks at how these children are growing up and brings the stories right up to date, as the children reach their thirteenth birthday. Exploring the last 12-18 months, we re-enter our families' lives at a time of significant change, having recently left the familiarity and safety of junior school and into the new environment of secondary school. How has each child adapted and coped with this enormous transition? We'll also witness some challenging physiological and biological changes, as they become teenagers. From mood swings and bullying, to body image issues, and fitting in.