Children May Cause Stress Too!
by Andrew John
When the child is born, the parents are happy - or to tell the truth, even more than happy. However, the child also brings a lot of additional worries for parents. Raising a child is a lot of fun, that's true, but it also brings a lot of responsibility, often more than the parents got used to handle. At that time stress is born - and it can last for years or even our entire life unless we decide to do something about it.
Staying calm is the most difficult part of being a parent. You should not raise your voice unless you have really good reasons - children will know that you are just nervous and learn that screaming is a good way of reacting to the world outside. You must not let it happen. If you feel the attack is coming, you can simply walk away for a few minutes in order to calm down - it is much better than starting to scream or cry in front of children.
Then, never let yourself ignore the problems you have. It is better to meet them head on and find a solution even if this may result in conflict. When you speak your mind, you risk a short quarrel, that's true. If you decide to ignore the problem and the situation happens again, you will feel your blood pressure rising and your contacts with your children will cool down to the level when you can't really discuss with them anything.
Another thing is that you have to remain in control of a situation. Never let it follow its own course if you feel it's not going to end well. If your kids are going to do something improper, bad or simply stupid, be the first to tell them that. If you can't cope with the problem otherwise, use everything you have in your power (including grounding and similar punishments) to keep your children from doing things you don't accept. Explain your reasons to them, but never let them make big mistakes - it is the shortest way for a parent to suffer a nervous breakdown.
The bottom line: solve the problems as soon as they appear. Do not wait for the to aggravate. If your 15-year-old daughter invites her 20-year-old boyfriend to her room for the first time, you can solve the situation and save yourself a lot of stress with a single joke or inviting your daughter and her boyfriend for a cup of coffee. If it has already happened a few times, you can't really do anything about it short of a major row - one that may have an ability to split the family apart. So, remember to never let things spin out of control!
About the Author: John Andrews writes about stress, stress relief and how to combat stress. For more information on Relagen and Natural Stress Relief , just click on the links. This and other unique content 'stress' articles are available with free reprint rights.
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