Summer safety tips to help through all the changes you are going to experience through the summer and moving forward.
Moving schools, going to college, having an empty nest, letting go, are all scenarios we will face throughout this summer.
When the kids come home from school, as parents we have mixed feelings, we love they are free and in our arms again, but there are all the other things to consider.
The cost, the time off from work, the boredom and the decisions about what they have to achieve to live apart from us at the end of the summer.
Grief is real at this time, kids saying good bye to school friends they may never see again. This applies to all ages from day-care, pre K all the way up to College.
Children at a young age make friends and then have fears about moving to a new school or grade without that special friend by their side.
Parents feel the grief when the kids go off to schools not in their home towns, their babies are now going to leave the nest and learn to fly by themselves!
All of these emotions should be addressed as a family, discussed and acknowledged and more importantly validated.
When discussing with the family how each one feels, respect their feelings. One of the worst things you can do is dismiss what the person is saying. The feelings they are having are real to them even if you do not quite understand how they come to feel that way. This applies especially to the younger members of the family. I cover more about grief and the different stages in my book for now here are a few tips.
Some do’s and dont’s
Do not interrupt when they are speaking, do give them the time to say what they want.
Do not dismiss what they are saying about their feelings, do let them know you understand and let them know it is ok to have those feelings.
Do not ask WHY this word gives the impression they have to justify themselves, do start your sentence with what, where, how, when….never why.
Do discuss how you feel and release the feelings in a conversational way, do not lose your temper or patience.
Do not put words in their mouth, do use the same words they use back to them when answering.
The feelings you and they are feeling are real and if not dealt with will be the person throughout their lives which in turn will influence how they act and react in society and relationships.
Have a great summer!!! 🙂
Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP, Meridian Energy Therapies including Emotional Freedom Techniques,
Hypnotherapist and Author of 5 books.
Based in Florida Helen helps people locally and all over the world via video to overcome their life challenges and eliminate their emotional baggage.
Comments