Do you have a child who seems anxious? I don’t mean first-day-of school, or going-to-the-doctor, or even giving their first speech in public nervousness. I mean chronic sleep disturbances, uncontrolled emotions, perhaps some nervous habits or ticks. Anxiety roots can dig pretty deep. The child can’t calm down enough to think of strategies or solutions, and they are maybe chastised frequently to “JUST CALM DOWN!” Sometimes internal panic has taken over without obvious outward signs, and the child begins to believe they are the problem and there is no solution in sight. And parents feel helpless.
Every problem truly does have a solution. However, a child who has been diagnosed with anxiety or ADHD or both, hears the word “diagnosis” and immediately feels tagged with a disease or serious condition. Then they feel their future, their dreams, their plans, and their options are gone. That word kind of puts a punctuation on their future, and that causes — guess what – more anxiety! They may think their dreams are gone, but nothing could be further from the truth! Anyone who has grown from a child with anxiety or ADHD into a thriving, motivated adult can tell you that part of their success in achieving their dreams is because of their ADHD or anxiety. With coaching from a good Kids’ Life Coach, a child can learn that their passion and ability to hyperfocus is a superpower that pushes them up every mountain and helps them do things and discover joys that they never thought possible! They learn to channel their energy and use their gifts, rather than feel frustrated and isolated.
“Why could a child possibly suffer anxiety?” you might ask. “Their lives are pretty happy, I take care of their needs, and love them unconditionally.” That’s almost a rhetorical question these days. Kids are shockingly aware of the world news, anger about politics, changing culture, epidemics, pandemics . . . you can fill in the rest. And in the effort to always tell children the truth, their tiny shoulders are bearing burdens that are much too heavy from them to carry at such a young age. Small children are wearing tracking devices so parents will know if their child has been kidnapped (even preschoolers have figured out why), and families are spending less time together discussing their child’s daily highs and lows at the dinner table every night. Children are taking a barrage of tests and interviews just to get into preschool (not Harvard). The pressure is on to learn more and more at younger and younger ages. Video game addictions are isolating kids more and more and creating huge gaps in opportunities for social interactions; their creativity is being stunted because the video screen either tells the child how to do everything or just does it for them. Discovery is now left to the convenience of the electronic tablet so that the busy parents can get “important stuff done”. This generation of kids has learned that unless the toy beeps, lights up, or talks, it is useless. And after a full day, children try to settle down for a good night’s sleep, carrying all of this into the next day to start again.
Remember when kids spent hours in hands-on discovery, building with blocks or Tinker Toys? The kids were actually learning to peacefully handle frustration and disappointment, but they were also learning success, creativity, and pride in their work – no charging cord needed!
All of these pressures are obviously not going away, so kids need to learn how to process today’s world without developing sleep issues, stomachaches, headaches, and emotional outbursts. Parents are so tired at the end of the day that they, too, are having sleep issues, headaches, stomachaches, and emotional outbursts, just from not knowing how to help their children!
Enter: a Kids’ Life Coach. A qualified and experienced coach can help the child and frustrated parents navigate their boat through the choppy waters so everyone gets to their destination successfully, happily, and with a sense of triumph. Perspectives can change, the home climate can change, and peace can blanket even the busiest of homes. Then everyone can settle into a restful sleep at night, ready to take on the world in the morning!
Learn from the kids.
Grace Notes 