Dr. Les Parrott III
Conventional wisdom holds that stress doesn't begin before late
adolescence or early adulthood. Truth is, today's children are
unlike any generation before them. They're stressed-out. Stress in
childhood is a problem every teacher needs to be equipped to
handle.
"Because of stresses at home, kids are coming to school with a
low threshold to handle any additional stress."
The Denver Post
"Millions of young children aren't being emotionally prepared
for school or life, and the whole nation is suffering as a
result."
USA Today
ALL STRESSED UP
You've seen kids who act out, act up, or withdraw whenever the
classroom setting becomes stressful. They'll pull away, get upset,
or become angry. It's not that they're "bad" kids; they're just
stressed kids. They come to your program with their stress cup
full, and they can't handle one more drop of stress.
Much of today's childhood stress is due to the fragmenting family.
The family meltdown recently prompted the American Psychological
Association to rate "the decline of the nuclear family" as today's
#1 threat to children's mental health. Because kids' homes are
stress zones, they have a low threshold for stress when they come
to church.
DE-STRESS SIGNALS
If you don't equip teachers to recognize and deal with stress in
kids, kids won't be able to learn everything about God's Word that
you want them to. What can teachers do to lower kids' stress
levels? Here are a few suggestions from Dr. Archibald Hart, author
of Stress and Your Child, as well as other experts.
*Take care of your stress. Monitor your level of stress
and protect yourself from running on empty. When you're frazzled,
your kids will be even more frazzled. Take time to relax, find
social support, and take care of yourself.
*Model coping skills for children. Keep calm even when
classroom problems arise and stresses such as crying or acting out
seem to be especially prevalent or aggravating. If your voice is
exasperated, angry, or whiny fairly often, children will follow
your example.
*Acknowledge children's feelings. Help children find
words to express their negative feelings so they'll not have to be
aggressive or disorganized when stressed. "I" statements help
children communicate frustrations and keep them from accusing,
hurting, or threatening others. Teach kids to say, "I feel angry
when you don't listen to me" rather than "You make me so
mad!"
*Avoid unnecessary classroom stress. Give children plenty
of time before a new activity. For example, use verbal, musical, or
light-dimming signals so children can gradually put away toys and
get ready for their Bible story. This kind of transition is easier
on you as well as them.
*Accept stress as normal. Jesus reminded his disciples
that in the world they would experience tribulation (John 16:33). Troubles are a source of great
stress for God's people of all ages, but all stress cannot and
should not be abolished. Help children grow in the midst of
stress.
*Know when to refer. When stress turns into panic, it's time for
referral. Panic disorder, traditionally diagnosed only in adults,
is now a childhood problem. It's characterized by a sudden,
unpredictable terror that occurs spontaneously, not in reaction to
an obvious stress. Panic attacks involve rapid heart rate, choking,
sweating, dizziness, and sensations of smothering. Victims often
feel they're going crazy or even dying. If you suspect a child is
suffering from panic attacks, consult a child psychologist.ú
Dr. Les Parrott III is the author of Helping the Struggling
Adolescent (Zondervan).
Copyright© Group Publishing, Inc. / Children's Ministry
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