CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Back-to-school time can be stressful for kids, but also for parents. Psychotherapist Myque Harris says trying to juggle schedules for parents is overwhelming.
"So I think that parents, one, they get overwhelmed because as much as they wanted the school year to start, they still have to get organized, and they have to figure out OK, 'how are we going to coordinate our schedules?'" Harris told WCNC Charlotte's Sarah French. "How are you going to, you know, make everything come together logistically in a way that really makes sense? And that can be really overwhelming."
And even though this can be a busy time, Harris says to make sure you are staying on top of your kids' social media activity.
"We want to make sure that there are content filters, that there are different strategies in the home to be set up so kids can't access certain things," Harris said. "Because sometimes it's just too much information for their brains, right? It's just too much, too fast, too early. So we want to make sure that we're filtering. But also, we want to give kids the opportunity to be exposed to things and we want to be present. So we can have those conversations and explain because if they get curious about something, they are going to want to know, they're going to ask Google, they're going to ask their friends, they're going to ask someone, and so we want to make sure that we're there to put some of that information into context."
Harris also says to not push aside your child’s concerns or emotions.
"Sometimes parents want to ignore or push away what their child is feeling," Harris explained. "'It's OK, don't worry about it, you'll be OK.' So we want to be able to ask them what they're feeling with open-ended questions. 'What are you feeling? Tell me about how you're feeling about the first day of school?' or whatever it is."
Harris says certain breathing techniques can really help if your child is dealing with anxiety.
"The other thing is that sometimes parents, if they have children that have anxiety, they have some anxiety themselves, and their anxiety starts to ramp up at the beginning of the year," Harris added. "There are different expectations and a lot to balance. And so parents need to tap into what they need, and support themselves so they can support their family and their children better as well."
And while it’s important to be there as a parent as your child ages, you also need to give them space to grow into an adult and make mistakes.
"I really understand the importance of setting a good foundation when they're younger, so they can be more independent at those older ages. But sometimes parents don't do that. So there is this reality of parents really stepping in," Harris said. "We need to really encourage kids to be independent, and give them opportunities to be successful, but not only be successful to fail, before it really matters and really has an impact."
Another thing Harris recommends is quality time spent with your child. Start keeping track of how often you give them undivided attention when you are not on your phone or staring at a TV screen.
Contact Sarah French at Sarah@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.