Are Your Kids Stressing
You Out
Are Your Kids Stressing
You Out?
Remember the first time you saw
your first-born child? You might have
been amazed at her eyes, or mesmerized by
the perfection of his hands.
You might have dutifully
recorded the first smile, the first
laughs, the first steps, the first
dance.
He or she became the most
important individual in your life.
When that little person came
into your world, you knew that your life
had changed forever.
There is nothing quite like the
joy of parenthood. It can lift your
spirits on the most miserable
day.
It gives you a reason to rise in
the morning, and a good excuse for
blowing bubbles, catching fireflies, or
gazing at a fireworks display. When you
give your child a hug at night, you know
that all is right with the
universe.
However, parenthood can also be
quite stressful. There are so many
demands on your time, so many commitments
you need to fulfill.
Your responsibilities can leave
you feeling anxious and frustrated. If
your child is sick, or is having trouble
in school, or has become involved in drug
or alcohol abuse, your stress level could
rise to the max.
Unfortunately, there is nothing
you can do to eliminate the stressors
associated with parenthood. They simply
come with the territory.
While you can guide your child,
you cannot expect to control him or her,
particularly when your child reaches the
teenage years.
Therefore, you have to learn to
somehow manage the stress of parenthood
before it gets the better of
you.
The most important strategy you
can adopt is to keep the communication
going between yourself and your child,
even when it becomes
difficult.
Your stress level will be
greatly reduced if you can talk with your
child, especially when something is
bothering him or her.
It is important for your child
to know that your love is unconditional,
and that he or she can turn to you at any
time of the day or night.
Strengthening the bond of trust
can do a great deal to eliminate your
stress.
Another stress-reducing tact you
can take is to set aside time to spend
with your child other than helping him or
her with homework.
This is particularly important
if you have more than one child. You need
some fun time with your child to let him
or her know that you care.
Plan for an afternoon of
rollerskating or an evening playing
checkers. You’ll find that such relaxing
activities can help to alleviate your
stress.
Also, it is important that you
build into your day a break in the
action. Have your husband or wife watch
the children for ten minutes while you
re-group.
This is particularly important
if you find yourself under so much stress
that you are about to lose your temper.
Give yourself a timeout and watch your
stress level drop
considerably.
Mention needs to be made about
the special stress that single parents
feel. Theirs is a difficult lot and the
pressures can be intense.
That is why it is so critically
important for single parents to
strengthen their support systems. They
need to have a parent, brother or sister,
or friend they can rely on when the
stress of parenting becomes
overwhelming.
Just having someone to talk to
can be a tremendous stress-reliever. In
other cases, a single parent might need
someone to watch his or her children for
the night so that the parent can
re-group.
Asking for help is not a sign of
weakness it is indicative of great
emotional strength. If you find yourself
falling apart, don’t wait for a crisis to
get some assistance. If you turn to
others for support, you will find that
your family unit will only grow
stronger.
Parenting is perhaps the single
greatest responsibility a person can
hold. As a result, there is a tremendous
amount of stress involved.
Recognizing that fact is an
important part of the parenting
process.
Once you are attuned to stress
and the causes of it you are more likely
to be able to manage it well.
It is important also for you to
recognize that stress management is an
on-going process that it doesn’t happen
overnight.
However, with time, you can
become a first-rate stress
manager.
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