When the 'stress ball' just ain't cutting it anymore, we need to get serious about stress management. It is no longer a desire for parents but rather a need! The levels of stress that families are under around the world are staggering. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach but we do have access to a variety of different measures to help ease some of the burden around parental stress.

Most Parents know being overly stressed isn't good for our health but did you know that our own children ABSORB the stress we experience as well?  People don't think of children as being stressed individuals but they are. Let's take a look at how we can get the help we need and improve this area of life.

Ever wonder what the MOST important things to do as a Parent? It may not be what you think. Take a look and see if you knew this or if you do this. Here are Julie Romanowski's TOP 3 TIPS that every Parent needs to know......

TOP 3 TIPS

1st - REGULATE YOURSELF
This is about staying calm and handling the current situation in the face of stress, chaos, upset and tears. When a child is feeling BIG feelings such as anger, frustration, fear or overwhelm, they are going to express this in a variety of ways that are usually unpleasant. It is our job as the adult to ensure that the child's expression does not effect our emotional stability. In order to do so, remember not to take the child's expression of that big feeling personally - even if it is directed right at you. Remain neutral and calm so that YOU can stay regulated and then assist the child in regulating themselves.

​Work-life balance is easier said than done for most parents. The balance we desire and work so hard towards, just doesn't happen which in turn, adds more stress! The un-predictable nature of caring for children makes 'balancing' responsibilities nearly impossible. Sometimes we don't even realize what is happening and become totally unaware of the impact until it's really bad and we burn out.

The good news is, it's never too late to turn things around!​ The toll this level of stress takes on our mind, body and relationships is extremely high. Prevention is key when it comes to the feeling of 'burnout'. There's no clear path as to how long or how intense the stress has to be but rather the feeling of overwhelm that becomes unbearable to manage. Sometimes this is also called, caregiver fatigue. Many people experience this and it's perfectly natural however....... 

​You wouldn't reward a child's bad behaviour with a chocolate bar would you? That's an obvious one but did you know that by NOT correcting the child's behaviour properly, it's the same as rewarding them for it? This taboo topic has created so much confusion and parents are feeling very stuck on what to do when their child misbehaves. 

​There is big controversy around punishing and spanking children and the long term psychological effects it may have. There is also confusion around consequences and timeouts that leaves most parents frazzled even more cause they don't seem to work.  How a parent disciplines their child is a very personal decision. it is based on many factors such as.....

Many parents think their kids don't listen to them when in fact, most kids listen really, really well......they just don't CARE about what you're saying.

You can scream, yell, threaten and beg but it still won't get kids to listen well. Many parents reach out to me with a common complaint that their kids don't listen and want to know how to get them too. Throughout my years of experience, I have observed that children actually listen very, very well. There was one time I was in the pantry getting.....