Parenting and Crisis

Alena Schaim, Executive Director of Resolve (also offers IMPACT in New Mexico), offers things to think about in her blog post "Parenting in Times of Crisis." She suggests we think about:

How do our past patterns around trauma influence this moment?

What is within our realm of control right now?

What is our plan for our mental health and our family's well-being?

How can we still care for our communities with physical distancing?

What is our plan for conflict?

How can we teach our children love and support when things are tough?

Supporting Teens in Setting Boundaries with Friends

If your teen is having lots of screen time with friends, some of these things may happen with a friend:

• their friend needs a lot of support during this pandemic and your teen is feeling emotionally drained.
• their friend is great to hang out with but is sometimes thoughtless and your teen's feelings are often hurt.
• their friend does all the talking and your teen rarely has a chance to talk.

In "5 Ways to Help Teens Set Boundaries with Friends," Barbara Greenberg makes these suggestions:

1. Teach your teens to label their feelings.

2. Encourage teens to heed their feelings and intuition.

3. Explain to your teens that they can't be all things to all friends.

4. Discuss different ways to set boundaries.

5. Look at your behavior in relationships.

Teaching Children Body Autonomy

In "Seven Steps to Teaching Children Body Autonomy," M.D. Shalon Nienow identifies 7 things for parents to teach their children about their bodies.

• Teach the anatomic names for their body parts.
• It is OK to say NO.
• Ask permission before touching someone else's body
• There is a difference between touch that makes them feel happy and touch that feels uncomfortable, scary, or confusing.
• There are OK secrets (what you are getting your dad for his birthday) and not OK (hiding when you have been hurt or hurt someone else or someone has touched your body in a way you do not like)
• It is not their fault if something happens to their body they didn't like.