Handling Difficult Moments with Families

"The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the lives of families across the country and left many adults feeling stressed, anxious, and struggling to cope," declare Rachel Velcoff Hults, National Center for Youth Law and Dr. Steven Adelsheim, Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, in an article on the Stanford Children’s Health website.

And this is what William Mosier and Ross Glen Chandler Nunamaker say in their article that is the foundation for the newest Exchange Reflections, "Handling Difficult Moments with Families":

"When parents feel a loss of control over other aspects of their personal lives, they feel helpless and sometimes take it out on the people who are caring for their children. All kinds of factors play into how a parent will feel on any given day. There is no question about it, sometimes parents get angry over trivial matters. However, the best thing we can do is to listen to the parent and not respond to anger with anger. Sadly, some parents wait until a problem occurs before they get involved in what is happening at the child care center. The aggression that you might be observing is not about you, as a person. Parents just get caught-up in the stress of a situation they are not sure how to resolve. So, do not take it personally! It is not about you. It is about the parent feeling helpless."

Source: "More Than Ever, We Must Prioritize the Mental Health and Well-being of Children," By Rachel Velcoff Hults and Dr. Steven Adelsheim, stanfordchildrens.org

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