Ways to Reduce Your Kids’ Stress

(US News & World Report) — Kids are stressed out, and their parents all too often don’t know it. That’s the word from the American Psychological Association‘s Stress in America survey, which for the first time asked children about their stress levels. One third of the 1,206 children ages 8 to 17 said they were more stressed now than a year ago. And parents seem to be missing those clues:

–Thirty percent of children said they worried about their family’s financial problems, but only 18 percent of the parents thought this was a source of stress for the child.

–Almost half of children worried about doing well in school, while just one third of parents thought that was an issue for their child.

–Twenty-nine percent of teenagers said they worried about getting into a good college or getting a job after high school, while only 5 percent of teenagers’ parents thought that was a source of stress.

–Two thirds of parents thought their own stress levels had no impact on their children, but 80 percent of the children said they learn healthy living habits from their parents.

Parents need to:

–Know that headaches, stomachaches, lack of appetite, trouble sleeping, and lack of interest in activities are common manifestations of stress in children.

–Realize that children who tend to internalize problems rather than act out are more at risk of becoming depressed and anxious because of stress.

–Make spending time with kids a priority, so you have time to figure out if they’re having trouble coping.

“When parent or child is plugged into a BlackBerry, cellphone, video game, or television, they’re not going to have enough time with their children for issues like that to come up,” says Nordal. Indeed, 85 percent of the kids surveyed said they weren’t comfortable talking with Mom or Dad, often because the parents were so busy.

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