There are so many things that can cause stress for children today. Whether it’s the pressure of difficult or excessive schoolwork, bullies at school, issues with their friends, or comparisons of themselves to others; stress will affect the entire family.
My Hot Momma knew that paying attention to what might be causing stress was one of the first things she could do to help me manage it. This means, once again, we need to take a look at the importance of communication.
Once you know the cause of stress in your child’s life, it is important to help your child deal with it, either by eliminating the stressor, or more importantly, by teaching your child effective stress management techniques.
So often in the world today, we see children being lead to violence as a result of the unmanaged stress in their lives. Teaching our children how to be better communicators is the first step towards helping them relieve stress in a constructive, non-violent way. First, offer to listen. This will allow your child to open up and express himself/herself, as well as give him/her the opportunity to talk through his/her stress and figure out the best ways to deal with his/her issues.
Not all stressful situations are ones your children will want to talk about, so guiding them in other facets of their life is important. Learning how to plan better can help minimize some homework stress. Teaching your child how to have patience and to be flexible can help keep fears and anxieties under control, which can go a long way towards alleviating stress. One of the biggest things we can do is simply talk about the importance of healthy eating, exercise and proper sleep, which I’ve talked about here before.
As a parent you can help minimize the stress you put on your children by trying not to go overboard about grades. If your child makes a low grade, don’t scream and yell, but instead show him/her what s/he did wrong and help him/her to understand what you expect. Help him/her learn from his/her mistakes, and teach him/her that they are alright to make!
Pay attention to your children’s moods and behaviours. If they act out suddenly, this is not a good time to blame them for wrongdoing.
They are already frustrated, so blaming isn’t going to get either of you anywhere, but it will stress them out more. This is when talking to your child and knowing your child will come in handy! Reflecting on how you, as a parent, could be causing your child stress is also a good idea.
My Hot Momma always told me that the more our family can work together throughout the daily challenges of life the happier and less stressful our lives will be!
Please send specific or general questions about your child’s education or way to teach them to: classroomguyana@gmail.com
