This week's BCfm Health Hub Radio Show focused on the mental health of our children in school. Can diet, exercise and mental attitude at school support children to be less stressed and more capable of coping with the demands of modern day life?
This question created a fascinating debate on the show and it was great to hear the experiences of Chantele from Kids Company, a charity which, like the Health Hub's Engaging Minds programme, goes into schools to teach kids how to be in control of their feelings but to also understand the source of those thoughts.
As my focus is more on the 0-2 age group, I was interested in how we as parents can prepare our children for the big wide world by helping to instill resilience and calm from a very young age. When kids are supported at home when they are young, they will be less inclined to be stressed when they get to school.
If we really think about it, kids just do what they see, so if we are stressed and living in a cortisone (stress hormone) induced haze they will learn that that is 'normal'. The point I made on the show was that as parents, we have to be the change we want to see in our children. One way to do this is to educate ourselves and change our behaviour. I do believe it's never the child's 'fault'; we have to take responsibility when our kids are behaving in a way we don't like.
There are lots of great books on the subject, my all time favourite being 'How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk'. The authors, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, have a great website with lots of useful information. For those who prefer experiential learning I'd really recommend Partnership Parenting, run by Bristol store customer Alice Sheldon.
Another great resource for parent is http://emotioncoaching.gottman.com which highlights the importance of emotional intelligence for children.
You can hear the recording of the 27th of January show here and every Tuesday 10-12 live online or BCfm 93.2fm
Love
Eva
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