Children go through many transitions and changes in their life as they grow. Anxiety is a common and growing problem in children in this fast moving , high tech world. Most children have fears but they dont last long, like the fear of a monster in the room, or the fear of boarding school. These fears vanish as the child grows .Their social, academic skills will suffer big time if the fears are neglected by parents.

Anxiety in children can be due to various reasons like, if there is any parental conflict or separation, unexpected death of a close relative, violence and terrorism in the city, natural disasters etc. Parents have to be cautious and should be able to identify the changing behaviours of their child as children may not be able to express their feelings nor they have the skills and ability to manage such situations of anxiety.

Following are the few symptoms of anxiety in children , as a parent if you notice any of them consistently growing in your child then you have to start thinking of remedies.

– anger, aggression, opposition.
– resist school or other activites.
-negative thinking
-crying
-eating disturbances.
-lack of concentraton
– nightmares, sleeping problems, night terror, fear of the dark.
– fatigue , headaches etc.

If u identify any of these symptoms in your child, you are the one who will be able to help the child to come out of it. Following are few tips to help parents to overcome anxiety in children.

1. Maintain regular routines:- An organized , well maintained ,regular routine will give the child a sense of belonging and control. Anxious children do not cope well with a disorganized family life style. It is important for children to have limits set and consequences for breaking the limits. Children feel secure when there are limits and restrictions for inappropriate behaviors. Stick to regular bedtimes and mealtimes.

2. Bridge the communication gap :- Children may not have the ability to vocalize their feelings, encourage them to share their feelings and fears. Ask them to make a list of things that make them feel anxious.

3. Healthy nutrients :- Make sure the child is taking his proper meal, as skipping meal is common in anxiety. Nutritious food like veggies, fruits and dry fruits are great sources of energy, and they may contribute a lot in reducing stress.

4. Exercise and outings :- Physical activites will not only divert child’s attention but it will also help in relieving stress. Take your child for dinners , choose among their favourite dinning places, take them to a toy shop and buy them a gift. Take them for a walk, a breath of fresh air will surely help. Establish work out and exercising routines. Make sure they play in the sun and involve in sports.

5. Keep them away from bad news:- Do not let your child sit in front of the tv when you are watching news or political talk shows. Dont discuss your family or financial issues in front of ur child. Avoid their exposure from disturbing events like death of their grandparents or loved ones. Keep on reassuring them that they are far from danger.

6. Relaxation and Soothing :- Comforting and soothing a child will help in reducing stress . Make them feel that they are cared and loved and you are always there for them. Verbal reassurance of safety and love, head and body massages, cuddling and holding, are few soothing strategies parents can adopt.

7. Be an example:- Children adopt behavior from their surrounding to respond in an unpleasant or unfamiliar situation. Be a role model for ur child. Parents should act confidently and bravely in difficult situations. Keep things calm at home also, dont fight with your spouse in front of your child.

8. Teach them problem solving techniques:- Help your child in explaining their problems and fears, jot down their effects and consequences, and discuss possible solutions to them. Read them story books which have stories on how children cope in anxiety. If for instance your child has social phobia, take them to a party with you, hold their hand so that they have a secure feeling, and introduce them to people by mentioning their achievemnets to them. It will boost their self confidence. Reward them for facing their fears, involve them in mind jolting activites as well, their horizon will be broaden.

Sometimes it is easier for parents to work out children’s anxiety issues, but at times it is a difficult task to handle. Anxiety becomes a major problem if it starts affecting the child’s functioning and daily routines. Some children are more anxious than others and may need additional reassurance or help from the professional. If a child has anxiety from a long time and is unable to cope with it then you should visit a child therapist.

Parents find an easy way out and punish their children or get harsh to them; many of the children end up beaten by their parents. But this is not getting anywhere; in the long run it may have adverse effect on parent child relationship. All parents have different techniques to handle their children due to the difference in culture, socio- economic background, social status and religion.

Here are few tips for the parents, to combat manipulation by their children.

1. If your child is continuously bothering you by asking the same thing again and again, then here you have to handle it tactically. Like for instance your child wants to go to a friend’s party, and you are resistant to permit your child due to the upcoming exams, develop a bottom line. Like if you study two chapters of science and explain them on a piece of paper then only you can go, and no further discussion are needed. It will for sure help.

2. Many children lie to their parents, they conceal the truth if it is beneficial for them. Stay vigilant about knowing where is your child going and with whom, so there is minimum lying. And if you catch them lying, let them know that it is unacceptable and as a lesson they will go to bed early on weekends as well.

3. Many children involve in rebellious acts to provoke their parents. First explain them gently that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. But if they continue to do so, restrict them their favorite pastimes. Make ground rules from the beginning, and make sure they are followed, no matter what.

4. Children are hesitant in sharing their little experiences with their parents, as their is lack of family bonding between them. Get involved with your child as much as possible. Share your own weird college and school experiences which will make them laugh and will develop a trust between both of you. It will help in fostering friendly relationship and a healthy environment at the house.

5. Black mailing is a very common and popular way children adopt to get what they want. Like your child will often say that ‘ i am sad and i will not talk to u until I get this ‘. Let them be sad for a while, don’t lose your focus as a parent and ignore the emotions for a while. As once you give them what they want, this behavior will be repeated regularly. If the parent can keep their poise children will not dare to black mail them.

Child manipulations are very challenging and it is a tough task to combat them. Parents need a lot of patience to handle and up bring their child. Just be the kind of person you want your child to be, and it will hopefully make things easier.

Statistics:

1) According to American Heart Association in 2013, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963.

2) The Arab Health Blog on the other end in its article “Childhood Obesity: Much more than a UAE Government Agenda” states that “Kelly Scott, in her survey on Teachers’, Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions of Childhood Obesity in the Middle East focuses on the issue of childhood obesity.  Based on her findings suggesting 30% obesity rates among UAE children between 6 and 16 years.”

Now thats becoming a universal affair. Those above mentioned statistics are worrisome and eye openers. Dont condemn anyone just look within. We have impaired our habits tremendously. Why not be conscious about our kids health and amend our habits first, to have indirect impact on them? The question arises how? I found the solution by liking 4 tips given by the First Lady Michelle Obama in an article “Michelle Obama gives weight loss advice” written by CNN’s Ashley Killough which are stated below. [Link to the article: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/04/michelle-obama-gives-weight-loss-advice/]

4 tips to handle the children weight:

1 Firstly, do not go for looks and appearances.

2. Secondly,  “We should really talk to kids about how they feel, how they feel inside so that we are not just dealing with the physical manifestations of the challenge but we are really tapping into what is going on inside that head of that child,” she said. “And then we want to talk about ways to make it fun.” Stated by Michelle in that article.

3. Thirdly do not discuss the weight issue at home.

It is my perception that the more we recall about things the more conscous we get and sometimes things go further out of hands. If this issue is avoided in front of kids they wouldn’t feel bad about it. If kids are getting obese its we who are providing them will all the wrong options. Why not manage ourselves.

4 Lastly,  Michelle was facing similar challenges when the kids were little so this is what they did. “We just started to make changes. And we made changes in a way that didn’t make them feel badly about themselves,” she said. “It didn’t even make them feel any ownership over it because truly kids that age can’t control what they eat.”

These steps are very much easy to understand and implement. Adding healthy foods in our meals, doing exercise and physical activity and refraining from TV and on the couch games should be focused first to initiate. Then most of all, always let your children know that you love them. Tell your kids how much you care about them and want to help. Let them acknowledge that you want to see them healthy and happy in their life.

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