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Parenting tips 2019

The start of the year is a great time for making changes and improvements to the way you raise kids.  Unfortunately, a lot of our great plans come undone by March.

Here are four tips from Parenting guru, Michael Grose, that we think will have a positive impact on kids this year:

 1. Switch on your kids’ strengths:

When we can unearth kids’ strengths we are, in effect, unlocking their true potential for success and happiness. Three elements come together to make a strength, and parents need to be mindful of all three: performance (being good at something); energy (feeling good doing it); and high use (choosing to do it). Rather than locking on to your child’s weaknesses, set your antennae to your child’s strengths and give praise and encouragement.

2. Balance kids’ extra-curricular activities:

Alongside social media and news events, being busy is now recognised as a major stress for many children and young people. Over-scheduling kids’ lives is a relatively new phenomenon.  Many complain about being on a hamster wheel. The cost of loading kids up with scheduled activities is that many don’t get the chance for free play, or simply ‘vegging out’ on the couch, preferably with a book rather than a device.

3. Focus on friendships:

Friendships are an important part of the road to adulthood for a child or young person.  Peer relationships are now fundamental in providing kids with a sense of belonging, a place to hone their identity and a group upon which they can develop their future relationship skills such as tolerance, empathy and forgiveness.

4. Give kids tools to manage anxious moments:

Anxiety is becoming increasingly prevalent in our lives.  Be aware that children very easily pick up on parents’ anxiety.  Stay calm and avoid projecting your own anxiety on to your children.  Every one worries but anxiety happens when we can’t release ourselves from that worry.  Help your children to focus on the now not on what might be.

Our counsellors are available to meet with parents at any time.  Please ring the College for an appointment if you would like to. 

Josie Ashby | Wellbeing Counsellor 

Mairead Mackle | Student Counsellor

Laura Herbert | Student Counsellor

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