Stress is a natural fact of life. Especially in this perennially fast-paced and digitally interconnected new decade. As adults we have come to accept stress as part of the package of adulthood. We learn to harness it when it can be good for us and create strategies to mitigate it when it’s not. But kids don’t yet have this infrastructure. And the further away we get from childhood, the more we forget that being a kid isn’t an endless cavalcade of sunshine, rainbows and candy. Being a kid can be extremely stressful at times, and parents need to be able to identify the causes of stress in kids and how to intervene to help them better cope.
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Let’s take a look at some of the things that most commonly stress kids out and what their parents can do about it…
Moving home
Anyone who’s seen Disney / Pixar’s Inside Out knows exactly how stressful a move can be for a child, and the blow it can cause to their psychological infrastructure. Kids crave the structure that school, family and friends provide and when they don’t get these it can leave them feeling confused, frustrated and upset. What’s more, kids pick up on the stress of parents on the actual moving day itself. Forward planning is the key here. Not only should you take the time to make your moving day itself stress-free, choosing a reliable movers like Allied Van Lines is a good start. What’s more, you should take steps to help them find things to love about their new home while also letting them know that they can still enjoy close ties with the people and places that made their old home special.
School tests
There’s more pressure on kids today than ever to excel in their academia. It’s easy to assume that high achieving kids take tests in their stride but they can be the most prone to stress and anxiety when it comes to tests. Help them to be as prepared as possible and make sure to give them lots of positive praise.
New siblings
A new brother or sister can be a huge psychological blow to a child and can make them feel as though their life and their world have been upended. It can even cause them to re-examine their places in their parents’ hearts. Fortunately, by involving them with the planning, helping them see all the fun things they can do together and giving them absolute reassurance that they will be loved every bit as much, you can prepare a child of any age for a new addition to the family.
Fights with friends
Finally, arguments with friends are an inevitable part of childhood and adolescence. As a parent, it’s up to you to teach them what qualities they should look for in a friend, the dangers of accepting people into their friendship group just because they’re popular and how to know when it’s time to cut a toxic friend out of their lives.
Unfortunately, you can’t make these decisions for them. All you can do is encourage them to make the right ones for themselves.
