Whether you are parenting preschoolers or high-schoolers, times of transition offer big challenges; starting a new school year, making new friends, losing a family member, moving, etc. Any disruption to their lives, risks disrupting their ability to stay focused, anxiety levels, emotional regulation, and more. The big picture is that parenting is a difficult job. Probably tougher than most of us bargained for. It is also the best job you’ll ever have but there are a lot of moving pieces!
Mindful parenting techniques and a change in our own transition patterns can help alleviate daily stress and take away the frenzy of “Come on everyone, let’s go!” Furthermore, taking the stress out of our daily transitions, like getting out the door to school, going to team practice, or getting everyone to the table for dinner demonstrates to our children how to handle bigger transitions with greater ease. The attached article encourages parents to look at how their own behavior is affecting the stress within their family.
Rushed moments of stress and transitions will always occur without any time to prepare. But, we owe it to our families to remain open to parenting techniques that help us manage the transitions we can.