Helping Children Feel Secure in an Uncertain World

The news can be full of stories and information that can be scary and anxiety-inducing, especially for children. If adults are feeling worried, imagine how children must be feeling.

No matter the age, children can be emotionally affected by the news and begin to feel anxious about what they are hearing. It’s so important in times like these for parents to take time to intentionally connect with their kids and implement strategies that help them feel secure. By intentionally helping family members to reconnect, parents will help everyone, including themselves, to feel more secure.

The most important strategy for parenting in uncertain times is to set aside specific times to have conversations with their children to answer questions and process feelings together. Having honest discussions about what everyone is feeling is vital to processing the influx of information and all the emotions it produces in a healthy way.

These conversations between parents & their children help ease any fear that they’re having, and they model for the children that connection is a priority, that honesty is generous, and vulnerability is brave.

It’s also incredibly valuable to have appropriate relational strategies that leave children feeling safe and assured as a result of these conversations, as well as any interactions between parents and their kiddos.

This is the perfect opportunity to implement some of the Parent Skills strategies that we use in our Krav Junior program!

Because the program was created based on child development and psychology research, the principles can be applied in many situations & helps strengthen the parent-child bond, which is crucial within the context of our world today.

PARENT SKILLS

In the Parent Skills system, there are 6 skills that were developed. While all of them are equally important, attunement, connection, patience  and nurturing  are a good place to start in regards to what we are facing today, globally.

It’s important for parents to be attuned to their child’s feelings about the pandemic & how it’s affecting their relationships & daily routine.

Being patient with them with questions they may have, or frustrations they may feel, shows that you value their experiences & emotions.

Spending time connecting with them is essential to their sense of security and wellbeing.

And nurturing them through these tough times will help them feel more at ease & build resilience that will help them through any stresses they may face in the future.

NEUROSCIENCE

One way to provide children with more comfort during these times is to implement strategies that boost positive brain chemicals and neutralize stress hormones like cortisol.

• Parents can increase dopamine by setting up time for families to do fun activities together.
• Giving hugs and spending time connecting with each other increases oxytocin which fosters trust and stability.
• By setting a positive mood, parents can increase serotonin which will make everyone more at ease.
• Parents can also boost their children’s endorphins  by going for a walk as a family or doing an online workout together, which will put everyone in a better mood!

In uncertain times, families can ease anxiety through emphasizing their familial bonds with one another. By implementing Parent Skills and finding ways to boost positive chemicals in the brain, parents can create an environment that fosters security for their family and develops a strong family bond that makes the tough times just a little bit easier!

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Source: SKILLZ