Top tips to support employees with summer parenting

As we wind down with schooling for the summer months, most parents will continue to juggle parenting with remote working. Add to this ferrying to summer camps (when available) or managing potentially disrupted social outings to keep teens occupied, and this can make for a stressful couple of months ahead for working parents.

Here are my top tips to pass on to employees to help them support their families during the school holidays:

1. Routine

Regular routines are going to be especially helpful during summer months when schoolwork is gone and there are no summer camps etc.

Predictable routines are just as important now (if not more so) as they were pre-Covid. Teenagers and young adults can manage stress better if they are getting enough sleep, making regular sleep patterns crucial. Going to sleep around the same time every night and waking up at around the same time every day. Healthy eating and regular exercise are equally as important. This will help maintain a more positive outlook and help teens and young adults who are struggling with anxiety or depression.

2. Keep up brain training during summer months

Your brain is a muscle and just like all muscles, it needs exercise. 20-40 minutes of brain training will help keep teens on track and help parents keep a routine/schedule. Keeping up with expectations from school can be challenging, please remember, you are not a teacher. Help teens to create a realistic schedule for getting work done, schedule in breaks, exercise, socialising and entertainment.

3. Acknowledge feelings

Ask direct questions: how are you feeling? Listen to what they have to say even if you do not agree and validate those feelings. Sometimes letting them get what they have to say off their chest helps them work it out for themselves. A lot of teens are concerned about how the current situation will affect their future.

Again, allow them to express their feelings without judgement. Then, express your confidence in their ability to get through this. Talk about how you can work together to help the situation. Help your teen to control what they can and relinquish the rest. Remind them, when we feel unsure about what our future holds, it does not mean we are heading somewhere undesirable.

4. Practice patience

Patience is a skill that needs practice. When mastered, it can give you the freedom to enjoy life even when it feels like the world is throwing you curve balls. Patience can transform restlessness and boredom into curiosity.

Here are some ways to techniques to help:

Make a list of what makes you impatient: take one thing at a time to practice on.
Check yourself: what do you do (physically) when you are feeling impatient? Are you tense? Is your breathing shallow? Are you clenching your teeth?
Focus on those sensations, breathe into the tension. This will help you to slow down and feel your body start to relax.
Have you caught yourself ranting in your head? Take slow deep breaths. Feeling impatient while standing in a social distancing queue? Focus on your breath, smile and connect to the moment.
Practice yourself and pass it on to your children.

5. Look after yourself and lead by example

Practising mindfulness can be very helpful for both parents and children of all ages.

It teaches them to tune into their emotions in any given moment and experience them without judgment.

Finally, remember to take time out.

The author is Anita Fletcher, parenting coach at Spectrum.Life.

This article is provided by Spectrum.Life.