Parents worry about many things, including:
- safety
- health
- social media
- bullying
- school
- their children’s future
- discipline
- how to talk to their children.
There are many other things that parents worry about, but talking to your partner and deciding how you can both best manage the things you worry about, will help you be prepared and lessen your anxiety. Unfortunately, no matter what you do, you cannot totally protect your child against everything that life presents – and the challenges are many!
How you can help
You can help your children develop skills and resilience which will support their self confidence in managing things when you are not around (like at kindy, school and beyond). The Raising Children Network (www.raisingchildren.gov.au) provides great tips on developing resilience and establishing boundaries.
It’s also important to support children to learn how to talk and engage in conversation. Families who have dinner together at a table (without the TV on) and talk to each other often have greater resilience and connection.
You can chat to children and ask their opinion about what the family are doing, what you’re doing, age appropriate news, community happenings or their activities and interests. Make it casual and avoid sounding as though you are interrogating them! Family conversation creates trust and children learn that you can talk and disagree and still love and care for each other.
If you need to report an incident of child abuse or neglect refer to the Reporting Abuse and Neglect: State and Territory Departments Responsible for Protecting Children