After School Stress - Parenting Panel
Updated: Aug 26, 2022
How many times have you met your child off the bus, and everything appears to be great.
Your child is smiling, laughing and appears to have had a good day....right?
That is until you walk into the house and ask them to put their things away, or heaven forbid you asked them how their day was.
Cue the instant tears or the "NO" I don't want to!!!
Children receive a lot of structure and routine throughout their day at school; when they come home, they require the same. Having minimal expectations assists your child with their transition from returning from school.
Simple expectations can include:
Hanging their coats and putting away their shoes
Washing their hands
Emptying their school bags and placing their lunch boxes in the kitchen.
Depending on your child's age, they can even empty and wash their containers.
Followed by 20-30 minutes of downtime, or as I like to refer to as their "brain dump," which can include a healthy snack if dinner is a while away.
During the day, your child is learning and developing new skills while at the same time following the school rules and their teacher's expectations. Providing them with an opportunity to engage in an activity that will enable them to decompress will not only potentially prevent meltdowns and non-compliance. It will also assist in fostering emotional regulation and more effective communication skills.
Click the video above to hear what else I had to share on this topic with Annette Goerner on CTV Ottawa Morning Live - Parenting Panel.
Sylvia Corzato is Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Parent Consultant and founder of Success in Steps with over 20 years of experience working with children and their families.
Sylvia provides parents with tailored support and strategies to help them understand the 'why' behind the behaviours along with 'what' is maintaining them. Her mission is to enable parents to be the driving force behind reaching and maintaining their family goals..