Kids and Stress – Helping Your Child Cope

As adults we may often look back on our youth with nostalgia and long for simpler times. But sometimes being long removed from the carefree days of childhood, we may forget the trials and tribulations of that stage of life. And what may seem to us as simple issues with concrete solutions can be huge stressors in our child’s daily lives.

These are some of the tops stressors identified for kids:

Siblings – younger or older, it doesn’t matter, they each present a different set of problems and let’s face it; we can’t get rid of them. Siblings are with us 24/7 whether we like it or not.
School – this actually has two parts – struggling academically or feeling overloaded by the amount of homework; and the social aspect of school or extracurricular activities, from feeling left out to dealing with bullies.
Sports – The fear of not being good enough or trying to live up to a parent’s expectations. Many kids often are involved in sports they don’t like because of parent or peer pressure. There may also be a fear of getting hurt.
Change – this is a broad subject that can range from starting a new school year to moving, to a new baby in the family. Some kids (and adults) just do not like their routines altered in any way and it stresses them out when it’s changed, even in the slightest.

Kids may not want to discuss what is bothering them or just can’t articulate or identify their stressors. But if your child is showing signs of depression, constant fatigue, complaining of being ill, weepy, distracted, or has outright tantrums you may want to do a little digging. As parents it’s important to be open and patient with your child because we may not even be aware of the issues or we may feel that the very thing causing them anxiety is trivial, when in fact it is not.

Communication is key and open-ended questions along with good listening skills will help draw out the problems. Sometimes just being able to discuss the problem may be enough to ease the strain. However, in some cases, you may need to help your child with various life skills or offer guidance on social matters. In extreme cases, you may need to seek professional help in the form of school counselors or even child psychologists. Click here for more info on helping your child cope with stress. For dealing with specific back to school or new school stresses, click here.

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