Lester, mother of two children aged 16 years and 8 years, was amazed at the world's youngest son, Tommy. He was so spontaneous, cheerful, full of experimentation, and many jokes. Lester often enjoy the excitement of his son.
Sometimes the desire to seduce Tommy along with his curiosity about the feelings of the child. "Thats happy to be you,.. Tommy? Can be busy playing and laughing continue? "
That sentence is not infrequently asked Lester to Tommy. Usually Tommy will answer with a funny, "yes mom,.. Mom wanted to be Tommy? Allowed! Later Mother ..., "and so on.
Sustainable thinking, Tommy was always cheerful because of all his needs satisfied: compassion, a sense of security, favorite foods, toys, and so forth. Satisfaction at the heart expands Lester. He imagines his son will continue to grow healthy and free of pressure because she and her husband understand and always meet the needs of her child.
Psychological distress experienced by some children may be certain, but not in children. He tends to think, kids today are more fortunate: not a day longer as before so that authoritarian parenting, stress-free child.
Changes in circumstances
However, it turns out things do not go as envisioned Lester. At one point, almost a month Tommy loss of appetite. Business was already done. Tommy was always persuaded to favorite foods and given vitamins and appetite enhancer. However, still no results.
Tommy becomes very thin and looked pale when home from school. School achievement is very sad: fell to below average grade. Lester thought, perhaps the principal issue is the addition of hours to learn in school (in grade 3 elementary school more than 6 hours, after previously only studied no more than 3 hours), plus travel to and from school quite a distance, causing chaos at a meal.
After listening to further change in Tommy, Lester found that the child who actually tend to be more easily spoiled him angry to his mother. The situation became clear when several times before bed Tommy agitated and asked her father who was nearly two weeks outside the city. Lester himself had more than a month out of town for two days a week to study business, in addition to keeping busy with his work.
Apparently Tommy's many lost the opportunity to feel comfortable the whole family gathered that he had always felt. What's it all happened after a row he also lost two of his favorite bird: the owl and the parrot flew off after his friend interrupted.
Both events were very touching feeling Tommy. He wept tears of two events with a hidden face, do not want them knowing. In conversation, it appears he remained attached to the bird.
Disappointment was untreated during his father out of town. The father that infuses her beloved to the animal. He could not expect from her mother, the less care to the pets, to get a replacement bird so that it tends to be angry with her mother. Mothers who are ultimately the source of viscosity as well as a "source" anger.
Lester finally understand the situation faced by children. It turned out that her son suffered stress due to various changes, at school and at home. It's things that never previously imagined.
Identifying the stress
Stress is a response to a variety of factors or situations that create negative emotions, physical changes, also a combination of physical and emotional changes. This is an unpleasant condition that can be experienced by both adults and children alike.
In certain circumstances, stress can actually be a motivator. For example, when the fear of failing the exam, we are actually motivated to learn the max. However, severe stress would somehow interfere with life, activity, and health.
All people have a natural response to stress which is a form of survival. Children also has its own way in dealing with stress. They learn to respond to stress with the experience and observations. Some become aggressive, some are behaving recklessly, others withdraw from the association.
Causes and symptoms
Stress in children is often caused by things that are taken lightly by parents. Lester, for example, considers only a matter of losing a small bird. Similarly, a parent's departure for duty, it seems the norm, could be replaced by communication via phone, yet still have a sister, grandparents, and attendants. Apparently this is a big problem for Tommy, who though could cheerfully, have sensitive feelings.
Children's responses to particular situations can vary. There are situations that are considered stressful for children who have one, but not for other children. However, stress in children is usually caused by:
- a new situation that feels strange or unexpected.
- The expectations of the uncertain compliance.
- Anticipation of something unpleasant (pain and so on).
- Fear of failure (or academic achievement in the association).
- Entering an important stage in life (leaving the elementary school kindergarten entry, and so on).
When experiencing stress, children may not know he is stressed. Therefore, parents are expected to be alert to the possibility of children experiencing serious stress, which can be recognized from symptoms such as:
- Physical symptoms: headache, abdominal pain or heartburn, heartburn, sleep disturbances, nightmares, bed wetting, stammering speech, loss of appetite or other changes in eating habits, and other physical symptoms without physical pain.
- emotional or behavioral symptoms: anxiety, restlessness, can not relax, fear of something (fear of the dark, fear of being alone, fear of strangers, and so on), concentration problems learning, stick to hold the parents or substitute parents, angry, crying, fussy, not can control your emotions, aggressive behaviors, stubborn, regression (again behave like childhood), not willing to participate in family or school activities
