As parents, our instinct is to shield our children from the difficulties of everyday life. We don’t want them to get hurt, it’s only natural that we’d want to protect them. However, despite our best efforts, life isn’t easy for anyone, even our children.
At some point, children will have to navigate some difficult experiences. As well as protecting them as much as we can, it’s our job as parents to equip them with what they need to make it through these difficult times and come out the other side.
Here are some common struggles your family might go through and how to be prepared.
Bullying and Social Issues
Unfortunately, children can be difficult to get along with. Bullying can happen for a lot of reasons and to varying degrees, but it's never easy for a child to cope with.
Sometimes we don't know when our children are being bullied. They might feel ashamed or too afraid to tell anyone, making an already hard situation even worse as they're further isolated. Even if a child isn't being bullied, but doesn't have any friends, they can be lonely.
Parents and teachers should work together to spot potential bullying problems. If your child is withdrawn or unusually sad or angry, try to gently draw them out. Then you can help them feel less alone and come up with a strategy.
Sickness
Even if you do everything you can to keep your children healthy, they can still get sick or injured. This is scary and upsetting for adults to deal with, let alone children.
If your child gets sick or hurt, you will already be dealing with their physical issues, but it's important to deal with their mental and emotional health as well. Depending on their age, be honest and clear about what's going on.
Try to take care of yourself as much as possible and ask for help if you need it.
Broken Families
Children can find divorce incredibly hard to deal with, but they can cope with it if you let them be open and try to keep them away from the painful parts of your relationship. A family lawyer can help handle the logistical and legal side of a divorce so you can keep hurt feelings at a minimum.
When children are involved, the most important thing is to protect them as much as possible. Look out for emotional issues and consider family or child therapy.
Grief
Death is a tragic fact of life. Some children are exposed to death at an early age, and it's important to explain what's happening as clearly as you can, as very small children can get confused. This can be hard when you're also going through grief.
Again, a licensed therapist might be able to help your child understand and sort through confusing and difficult feelings.
Things like this can take time. It's okay for children to have to work through their emotions, but it's important to keep an eye on them and their progress.
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