Are your kids feeling anxious about going back to school? There are social concerns, learning concerns, even safety concerns.
Dr. Jasmine Ghannadpour, pediatric psychologist at Children's Health and assistant professor at UT Southwestern has some outstanding guidance.
Dr. Ghannadour had three key takeaways for parents:
1 - Normalize Feelings: Parents, it's normal to feel anxious about school shootings or other potential dangers.
"I think it's important to remind them that there are certain safety protocols calls in place at school. There are security measures that schools take to make sure that kids are safe. I think that can be a really hard conversation for parents because that might be a place where parents are actually feeling that anxiety and they might need their own support to deal with their own anxiety about that. I think it's really important for parents to remember that kids pick up on their parents' anxiety. And so if a kid feels like you're anxious about a school shooting, they are also gonna feel anxious about that."
2 - Manage Anxiety: Anxiety can be functional and motivate children to do well, but when it starts to interfere with functioning, parents should step in and provide support. Validate your child's feelings and teach them self-management skills to cope with anxiety. Gradual exposure to the school environment can help ease their worries.
"Some anxiety is normal. Right? We're not trying to eliminate anxiety. Some of it can very much be functional. When we have some anxiety, it motivates us to want to do well and want to work hard. And so in some ways, anxiety is good. When it starts to interfere with functioning, that's when parents want to step in and really try to help support their child more with it. Remember what it was like when you were a kid and you were starting school and how anxious and excited you might have been feeling. "
3 - Turn Anxiety Into Strength: While it's important to acknowledge the existence of stressful situations, emphasize that they shouldn't prevent children from living the life they want. Help them focus on positive experiences and remind them of past successes in overcoming anxiety or new situations. Redirect their focus and engage them in other activities to prevent them from getting stuck in anxious thoughts.
"By having them remember other times where maybe they were going through something stressful or they were feeling some anxiety about a new situation, and they were able to overcome that. So reminding them of times in the past where they've done something hard, and it turned out well. I think that can be really helpful. They can also do what we would call in psychology, gradual exposure. So if your kid is really anxious about going back to school, maybe you go to a back to school night so that they can just get the feel for school, meet the teacher, get some exposure to what it's like being back in that environment. Maybe you go play on the playground one day before they go back to school so they can remember what that feels like. So some small steps before they get back to school full time. That sort of gradual exposure can be really helpful."
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