Conversing with children is not as easy as it seems. This is particularly true for parents as whatever they do or say, be it positive or negative, leaves an impact on their children. The situation becomes even more flimsy when the kids are stressed or anxious. You got to be extra careful with your words and actions when communicating with an anxious child. And as such, there are certain things that child psychologists classify as a big no-no and best to be avoided when dealing with stressed-out children.
So today, we, at Dayawati Modi Academy, positioned among the Top 10 CBSE Schools in Meerut, have brought for you an insight into the matter and have compiled a list of some of such phrases that you must never use whenever you are handling an anxious child. Read on.
- “This is such a petty issue. Get over it!”
Even though your intention is to help your kid get over the stress that’s troubling him/her, phrases that emphasize that their problem is very small may end up rebuffing them. Their anxious mind would get a message that their problems are not important for you, and this is definitely not going to help them in any way. Instead, we, at Dayawati Modi Academy, would advise you to try and adopt a more understanding and empathetic way of dealing with them. Try saying, “I can see the problem is stressing you out. Let’s together figure out what we can do about it.”
- “Oh, that is such a big problem!”
Problems aren’t generally as big as we make them with our attitude and approach. It is this fact that must be taught to kids. But in a bid to connect with them, you must never tell your anxious child that, yes, the problem is very big or the situation is horrible. Instead of helping them out, this will act as a confirmation to them that their problem is actually so big that there isn’t any solution to tackling the same.
- “Can’t you behave properly!
How do you feel when you encounter any issues in your office or may be come across any issues in your personal life? You do feel disturbed and frustrated, isn’t it! When a problem impacts your adult mind to the extent that you tend to lose your calm, how can you expect your kid to keep control on his/her behavior? Hence, be more understanding towards the child and give him/her the time to deal with the issue.
- “Stop talking about it!”
This is the worst thing to tell an anxious child. You must never ask a kid not to talk about his/her problem. Instead, encourage the child to speak openly about it to you. It has been seen that pouring your heart out to someone you can trust actually works wonders in getting over the stress. Let the kid open up with you about his/her tensions. And you make sure to be all ears to the kid for a while.
We, at Dayawati Modi Academy, recognized among the Top 10 CBSE Schools in Meerut, firmly believe that stress and anxiety are emotions that are actually difficult to escape from. But yes, these emotions can very well be managed if the approach is kept right. It is this approach that parents shoulder the responsibility of teaching to the kids. Recognize their issues, be understanding and empathetic towards them, let them know their problems are important for you, and that they can come to talk to you about it whenever they feel comfortable. All they need is your emotional and practical support. Be generous about giving them that!