Nobody tells you how anxious you will become when you have a child. The pregnancy may have worried you, you may have thought about the future and how you were going to handle diaper changes and sleepless nights, but the anxiety for a parent is a real and it never really leaves you. The truth is, some will struggle with it more than others, but there will always be stressful and worrying moments as a parent, and none of which you really want to go through.
Often being a little more mindful of the prospect of these things can help to calm your mind, especially if you are armed with the tools to handle it, should you ever face it. With that in mind, here are some of the stressful incidents many parents may have to face on their parenting journey, with a few suggestions on how to stay calm and handle them. You have got this mama!
Bad grades in school
One of the biggest issues you can face with your children is school, and how they do within their academics. Now, while you can’t change the makeup of your child, or how clever they may or may not be, bad grades can be a worry, especially when they are graded on not just academics but also effort and behavior in class. Bad grades can worry you in terms of results, getting into the next stage or college in the future, and it can be a huge stress for parents to go through. Especially as you are not there to guide your child while they are in class. As a parent, what you do at home can be beneficial, such and helping with homework or school work, reading most nights and trying to get more in line with how they feel about school. A good relationship with the school can be essential to help turn the experience from a negative into a positive one.
Worrying about school in general
It isn’t just about making friends in school, it is also about having to ensure that your child is happy in their environment. Again while you can’t be there to be an influence, you can often worry about whether they make friends, whether they are liked or popular amongst their peers and generally you can worry about how they feel about being in school, away from what they have to do workwise. It’s natural to worry, and regular conversations with your children may help you to feel more assured, or to know when you need to have a conversation with the school.
Bullying or your child is the bully
Bullying can be a stressful situation, no matter whether you are the parent or the children involved. It can be equally as devastating to a parent to witness their child being bullied or to be the one doing the bullying. No matter as a parent this will be stressful, and the best advice to stay calm and collected with the situation is to take action with the school or environment they happen to be in. Communication is key, and sometimes in these instances, you need to ensure that you put your child first amongst anything else.
A car accident
We can all say that we have been in situations where something takes up by surprise and disaster strikes. One of those things can be a car accident. You can be happily driving along, minding your own business, and then bam! Someone drives into the back of you, the side of you or brakes suddenly. It’s stressful anyway, but when you have your children involved, perhaps sitting in the back it can be just as bad. It is always a good idea to remain calm in these situations, and once all details have been taken and evidence documented, you get in touch with a car accident lawyer to help deal with any aftermath or issues moving forward. Last of all, make sure everyone is checked over to avoid lasting injuries.
Your child going missing
There is nothing worse than taking your eyes off your child for a split second to find they have gone missing in action. It can happen in a shop, on vacation, or in any situation where there is a lot going on. The best advice in this situation is to always remain calm, and alert anyone especially authorities in those first few instances. Look around, shout their name, and generally raise the alert sooner rather than later. Most of the time a child has just turned a corner, or not looked to see where you are, but you can never be too sure in these circumstances.
High temperature, a rash you can’t explain and sickness generally
One big thing that can strike worry into your heart is your child suddenly getting a temperature, a rash that you have no idea when or what it is and generally when they are sick. You can feel so out of control because, in some cases when your child is young, they can’t even explain how they are feeling, so a lot of the guesswork is involved. But even when they get older, it doesn’t get any easier. It can be a difficult situation to avoid getting stressed over, but always just play it safe if in doubt and speak to a local doctor or health practitioner to give you some peace of mind.
When they start to answer back and develop attitude
You might ultimately associate attitude and backchat with a teenager, but some younger children can develop sass and it can be extremely stressful as a parent. You can be trying to avoid finding it funny when really you want to make them aware they shouldn’t talk or react that way. Attitude is part of the package, but nip it in the bud early to help you avoid stressful situations and clashes in the future.
Let’s hope by sharing these situations will help you feel less alone and isolated should you be faced with them as a parent.
