Any school holiday can pose a challenge to parents, especially when it’s a long one like Christmas. By the time these breaks from school and work come around EVERYONE is exhausted and in need of rest.
You may notice that your child is more emotional than usual, or that there seems to be more conflict in your relationship right now. Largely this is to be expected as we shed some of our usual responsibilities. It’s important to remember that your children, like you, have spent months trying hard to meet their daily responsibilities. And, like you, they are tired!
Tired shows up in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it presents as we might expect – sluggish and unmotivated. Other times, tired can present as frustrated, angry and annoyed. When we are tired, it’s difficult to manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This is particularly true for children. And us adults have probably learned a few tricks to manage ourselves, most children are still learning.
Our bodies are programmed to seek safety. In healthy parent / child relationships a child’s SAFE space is with their parent(s). It’s in this space that children are able to be entirely themselves and that includes the good, the bad and the ugly. It really is no wonder that your children’s behaviour at home, or with you, may be different than when at school, or with others.
You are your child’s SAFE space. That means they feel SAFE to express their big emotions. As their SAFE person, they know you will continue to love and care for them even when they express their big emotions. In these moments, it’s worth remembering that children’s behaviours are their way of communicating. As parents, our job is help regulate our children and support them to move from a state of STRUGGLING to a state of feeling SAFE.
lumin&us® was created with families by trained mental health professionals, therapists and educators. We help parents build and strengthen their relationships with their children. Through neuroscience and therapeutic, relational play, lumin&us® improves family mental health and wellbeing. In clinical trials, 81% of regular users reported increased parent and child closeness while 71% reported less parent and child conflict.
Download lumin&us® FREE from the App Store or Google Play now to make sure you ‘have a holly, jolly Christmas this year!’. Or, head to our blog to read more about us or for more helpful hints and tips from our team at lumin&us®.
lumin&us® is highly rated as a mental health app by ORCHA, and certified for use in the NHS.
