How do you celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of school? Do you have traditions surrounding these events each year? Do you go shopping for new school clothes or go to the library for one final haul of summertime reading books? Is there a last run for snow cones or a concluding camping excursion with marshmallows roasting for the all-popular s’mores??
It’s so important to instill rituals to bring family members closer together and make transitions a special time to celebrate. These times of transition for children and youth can be meaningful for some, and, for others, they can be difficult and challenging.
I remember being excited about the new outfits, but scared of starting a new year of school. It was a place I did not excel. Perhaps it was because we lived in a different state and moved every year I was in elementary school. Perhaps it was because school work was hard for me. (To be completely honest, I don’t know if I was in school today as the student I was back then, that I would pass the standardized tests.)
In light if these difficulties, how can parents and caring adults help children and youth who have similar feelings to those I experienced? I recently saw a post on LinkedIn by
Kay Trotter,
PhD, LPCS, CEO of
Kaleidoscope Behavioral Health
who shared about a book that can help YOUNG CHILDREN better handle anxiety surrounding school.
The Kissing Hand
by Audrey Penn
has provided reassurance for children dealing with difficult transitions and situations. While the focus of the picture book is on fears about starting school, the reassurance and comfort the book provides can be applied to many different situations.
And, just maybe you can’t have enough resources for
CHILDREN who experience anxiety.
What about the TWEEN years? Oh, the fearful years before puberty. Still a child, not yet a teen. Sheesh, raising children is not for the faint of heart!! Here are some
helpful tips
to manage these specific years.
Let’s not forget about TEENS. (BTW ... How did any of us survive these years of hormonal surges, brain development, and general teenage angst and make it to adulthood?!)
This article
is a fantastic resource for teens to read, for adults to convey and understand youth, or any combination thereof. The article does a great job of explaining anxiety, what happens in the body and brain during anxious times, and ways to handle anxiety in healthy ways.
And, here’s
some help
for PARENTS and CAREGIVERS when you find it hard to not be anxious in light of a child’s anxiety.
Want to add more traditions to your family life? I hesitate to share anything that says “32 Simple ...” BUT these truly are simple, and even
meaningful traditions
you can start with your family. Or, they may just spark your creativity to embark on your own ideas. AND, REMEMBER, “family” isn’t necessarily defined as the group we were born into. Family can be a group of friends, co-workers, or any group of people, small or large, you are drawn to. Don’t be bashful ... be an instigator when it comes to defining family and establishing traditions!
I’d
love to hear
how you define family and what traditions y’all enjoy together.
Until next month,
Kathy Daley
Consulting Trainer
The Trans4m Center
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CBSG Program Facilitator Training
Kids’ Connection, Youth Connection,
and
Kids’ Connection, Too
(collectively known as the
CBSG
®
Program
) are unique, interactive, multi-cultural curriculum-based prevention interventions that teach high-risk children and youth ages 4-17 a set of essential life skills: skills to help them learn how to cope with difficult family situations (which include Adverse Childhood Experiences), resist negative peer pressure, set and achieve goals, and refuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
This training is designed to fully prepare schools, community-based organizations, churches, juvenile justice divisions, volunteers, and other youth service professionals to fully implement the
CBSG Program
with fidelity.
Those completing this training will receive their choice one of the
CBSG Program
Facilitator manuals:
- Kids’ Connection for ages 4-12 in Schools and Communities
- Youth Connection for ages 10-17 in Schools and Communities
- Kids’ Connection, Too for Ages 4-15 in Homeless & Domestic Violence Shelters, Group Homes & Other Transitional Living Environments
COST to attend a scheduled training in Dallas:
$250
per person, one manual included
COST to contract us to come to YOU:
$3500
for up to 15 people, plus travel costs
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We Want to Hear from YOU!
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Have you been facilitating the
CBSG Program
with children and/or youth and have some success stories you would be willing to share?
We would love to hear your stories of the lives you are changing for the better!!
Please email
Sandi McFarland
and you might see your story in a future
Trans4ming News
newsletter!
Please remember to not share specific details or names. A Permission to Print form will be sent to individuals whose stories have been chosen.
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The Trans4m Center | 214.887.0726 | trans4mcenter.org
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STAY CONNECTED
@trans4mcenter
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