Today's Children are facing many kinds of stress. The stress in children is attributed to many reasons. Exam stress, parental expectations, peer competition, pressures attributed to driving school children overboard has become reason for concern amongst parents, doctors and school authorities.
Children have become so sensitive that they cannot take even the basic pressures, they give up. It is not only studies pressure but any kind of competition, be it games or extra curricular activities. Today's children think that everything is so easy that they do not want to face problems and choose to run away.
Don’t Set Targets:
Panic amongst the parents has mounted. Some parents stopped setting targets for their children. Earlier parents used to set targets, if kids accomplished, they would give them a gift. Now parents started to give gifts though they do not fare well. In addition to parents trying to ease the pressure from their end, they should do much more than scrapping unrealistic targets.
Be There For Your Child:
The joint family culture cushioned these pressure in the past. As parent child communication runs thin due to lack of time spend together, it is a major reason for concern. Children are left on their own to pressure tackle, and not surprisingly crumble. In the absence of parents, children become isolated and introverts. Instead of communication their problems and venting their depression and frustrations, they keep it inside, until it takes a toll on their mental health, leading them to negative approaches and no solutions. There are a number of stressors. Be it competition which is at its peak, exposure to television or the internet. Children are more vulnerable and less secure. They need solutions but don’t get them.
Seek Expert Help:
With students suicide increasing manifolds and the final examinations including school-leaving examinations approaching, it's crucial that parents and educator come together to tackle this problem.
Parents need to be more sympathetic towards their children. Throw away the role model of the picture of the perfect child. This is skinning our children. Ask them what happened at school and read their diary.
Some Ways That Will Help To Reduce Stress in Children:
- Make yourself available to guide and listen to children to help them find a way our of pressure situations.
- Do not compare or rate children. Value them according to their strengths and set targets according their abilities. Praise them not only for their achievements, but also for their efforts.
- Do not always measure success in academic accomplishments. Children have many talents, recognize them.
- If a child shows sings of depression like stays alone, does not go out to play and lack of interest in things they earlier enjoyed, immediately seek a counselor’s help.
- Lastly, never take suicide threats lightly and concentrate on reducing stress in children.
