One of the common complaints that we hear from a number of parents is how busy and stressed their high school child is. This generally comes from parents of students that fall into one of two categories: 1) those that take a full or challenging load of courses and are involved in a number of school activities, and 2) those that are high achievers but have some confidence issues. There are certainly other reasons teenagers experience negative stress, including relationship issues, problems at home, and myriad of other things that exist in the average life of an adolescent. In the ten or so years when we have had conversations with parents, and the child, quite often we discover that they have a counselor that they see regularly, and some are on medication for anxiety and other stress related disorders. Those are the extreme cases, and much more often I have conversations with parents who simply say their child does not have enough time in the day to do all that is expected of them. There are some that “want it all” and struggle to figure out what they are willing to give up. There are others that have balance and simply are very busy teens.
Tim Elmore, recognized author, speaker, and expert in the development of young leaders, has a perspective that you may find helpful in terms of how to help your child deal with stress. From a personal standpoint, it has worked in our household and I certainly think it is worth consideration.
An Antidote for Students’ Stress
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