Excitement, fun, chaos, and stress – coping with heading back to school
submitted by Alison Lammot, Counselor/Trauma Therapist
It is that time of year when kids get ready to go back to school. The stores are full of families shopping for new outfits and school supplies. Kids are full of anticipation about friends, teachers, sports, and other issues like acceptance and the ability to perform.
Would you like to be a kid in today’s world? Years ago, childhood was a time to have fun, learn, play, and have the chance to grow up. Sadly, times have changed a bit. The world has changed, and so has childhood.
Along with these changes has come an incredible amount of stress. Kids of today deal with issues that are often beyond their coping skills; issues like drugs, violence, sex, pornography, etc.
Parents are often at a loss as to how to raise a child in this world. Many go into denial and pretend that these issues don’t happen in their kid’s school. Or, they pretend it only happens to other people’s kids.
Cutting and other forms of self-injury have skyrocketed, along with eating disorders, suicides, and drug and alcohol abuse.
Many teenagers will need some type of counseling or coaching to help them get through the junior high and senior high school years. Many parents will too. Our world is not an easy place to have a “normal” family, and with both parents working more and more, it is even harder.
Warning signs that your kid is in distress include, but are not limited to: seclusion, depression, fatigue, grades dropping, lack of interest in life, anxiety, rage, and change in eating habits.
Be sure to check in with your kids daily and take some parenting classes along the way. There are many great resources out there. Remember, kids do not come with instructions. So get some help if you need it, for all of you! It could save a life.
