HELP YOUR CHILD COPE WITH STRESS

HELP YOUR CHILD COPE WITH STRESS

We may not like it, but the bitter fact remains that our children are as susceptible to stress as we are! Only the manifestations differ! And also the other sad part of the story is that they are helpless victims, until we assist and guide them to cope with stress! Now, what can be the stress-factors which can disturb and disrupt the idyllic and carefree childhood that we all want our children to experience? Well, if you consider the factors……. There are plenty! Any sudden change in the environment could be overwhelming for a child, say, divorce between the parents, death of a loved person or even pet, moving to a new locality or school, activity overload, peer pressure, any prolonged and debilitating illness are just a few to start with! In fact, stress and those overwhelming feelings of doubt about ourselves or our ability to handle things — is as common in children as in adults. The greatest challenge to parents today is teaching children to manage stress effectively.

First lookout for symptoms of stress in a child, which can be pretty varied! These could be the possible signs: * Physical symptoms
o headache
o upset stomach or vague stomach pain
o sleep disturbances
o nightmares
o new or recurrent bed wetting
o decreased appetite, other changes in eating habits
o stuttering
o feeling unwell with no apparent illness
* Emotional or behavioral symptoms
o anxiety
o inability to relax
o new or recurring fears (fear of the dark, of being alone,of strangers)
o clinging, unwillingness to let you out of sight
o inexplicable anger outbursts
o crying or nagging
o inability to control emotions
o aggressive, rebellious and stubborn behavior
o unwillingness to participate in group activities
o sudden withdrawal and spending time in solitude
o drastic change in academic performance
……….. and so on!

If your child is showing these changes its time for your helpful intervention. Here are some ways you can help your child deal with stress:
*Make time for your child each day. Even as your child gets older, this "quality time" is important.
*Help your child cope evaluate the stress-factor by talking with him or her about what may be causing it. Together, you can come up with a few solutions.
*You can also help your child anticipate potentially stressful situations and be prepared for them, like, new experiences, fear of unpredictable outcomes, unpleasant sensations, unmet needs or desires, and loss.
* Provide a secure, consistent, and dependable home atmosphere.
* Encourage questions.
* Encourage expression of concerns, worries, or fears.
* Listen to your child without being critical. Never criticize in presence of outsiders.
* Build your child's feelings of self-worth. Use encouragement and affection.
* Try to use positive encouragement and reward instead of punishment
* Allow the child opportunities to make choices and have some control in his or her life. * Encourage physical activity.
*don’t pressurize your child with preferences and expectations.
* Don't try to fix everything for your child. Avoid offering advice. Just a patient hearing may be enough to relieve the stress.
* if your child has done something negative, explain gently, never to repeat it! Build up the scope for confiding!

You can do so much to alleviate stress in your little ones' lives! Help your child set realistic expectations, and remember that nobody is perfect and that things don’t always work the way we want them to! Remind your child that its important to learn to love and respect one’s own self and others!

HAPPY ‘STRESS-PARENTING’!!

Article sample 1:5 SIMPLE STEPS FOR CURING SWIMMER PUPPY SYNDROME IN COCKERS!

5 SIMPLE STEPS FOR CURING SWIMMER PUPPY SYNDROME IN COCKERS!

I first encountered this Swimmer Puppy Syndrome when my 2 yr old Cocker ‘Pixie’ birthed her first litter of four puppies! I did not know what was wrong with two of the pups, except that they seemed, well…aberrant! Baffled as I was, I desperately started seeking opinions of experts such as Pixie’s vet and others, even breeders! They all knew what it was and they all had answers, some of which were that it is congenital disease, which the puppies succumbed and usually died to; and that it's common in all animals that have litters. Their suggestions ranged from anything between: * There is nothing you can do about it. * Changing their feed. *Putting them on soft bedding. * Taping the feet together. And even, * Spaying the mother.

In fact, I lost out to time trying out these suggestions, and lost those two pups. Nevertheless, I decided not spay Pixie! I took it up as a challenge! In my mind, I chose to take up a task, which had seemed Herculean at that point, that is, finding a solution for Swimmer Puppy Syndrome, a solution that was different from what most people around me suggested! I read everything I could find that even hinted information about swimmers puppies. Nevertheless, all had similar insights none had real solutions. Then I made myself present at every birth of puppies of Cockers belonging to people I knew, and some recommendations I got from my vet, and tried to be observant at each birth.

I began to see a pattern emerge. The incidents of births that produced swimmer puppies were random. The changing of feed or adding supplements did not decrease or increase the occurrence of swimmers. What I observed on the pups themselves was that the swimmer syndrome began to show up at anywhere from one hour to a couple of days after birth, beginning with a slight flattening of the chest or an actual bend in the ribs! What I noticed about these pups is that they are always lying flat on their belly. If you lay them on their side, they will immediately return to lying on their belly. This is known as - the righting reflex. You can detect this by perturbing a sleeping litter of very young puppies. They instantly crawl upright to their stomachs to 'right' themselves and begin to look for a nipple. The righting reflex is the FIRST RESPONSE TO NURSING AND THE CAUSE OF SWIMMER PUPPIES. Once in a while, one (or more) puppy doesn't want to return to a normal relaxed state on its side and importunes or remains upright causing the flattening of the chest which, if left undisturbed, leads to swimmer syndrome and probable death!

Then I had a brainstorm, and by that time, Pixie too was ready for her second delivery!

The cure for Swimmer Puppy Syndrome must be taken as soon as possible and it is really quite elementary!

Here are the 5 simple steps you can try out in curing Swimmer puppies: 1. First, check all the pups right after birth and every hour or so for the next couple of days, very vigilantly.

2. If you notice a pup that is always on its belly or beginning to show signs of a flat chest, what you do is lay its mom down and put this pup on a good nipple, full of milk that is next to the floor of the nest box. It probably will not stay on the nipple at first in anything but an upright position.

3. After it is on, hanging on for dear life, take the pup and turn it on its side, holding its entire body and head down.

4. At first is will defy but be firm, make it lie on its side until it is full, making sure it stays on its side.

5. If the pup lets go of the nipple anytime during this process, start over again. Do this several times a day until the pup returns to normal and lays on its side. And when that happens…voila… you have just cured swimmer puppy syndrome!
With this procedure, you should have 100% success, I did!

However, remember YOU have to be very vigilant and perseveringly consistent.
The best way to learn about raising puppies is to raise puppies, through trial and error and using your own thoughts or ideas. Do not give up because you have some bad experiences that no one can help you with! Instead, pick everyone's brain and read everything you can find and reserve your own judgment. Be observant and eventually you will be able to overcome nearly every problem that comes up.

GOOD LUCK ON ALL YOUR ENDEAVORS ON CURING SWIMMER PUPPIES!!

Finally....

After dragging my feet for quite some time...ahem... I've decided to create this blog to demo a couple of numerous articles/content that I've written for my clients!