"Stress and Your Child's Brain"

I found this interesting article called "Stress and your Child's Brain"  http://drdavewalsh.com/posts/165  and wanted to share it with you.  The link will take you to the full article; below is an excerpt.  Stress is a natural part of life and our brains grow and develop stronger through those experiences.  

It's my goal to help my students grow and develop into strong problem solvers, using stress in a positive way.

There may not be a roadmap, but let's agree on some goals.

Unfortunately this post doesn't end with a stress eradicator, a vacation, or a spa package (though there is nothing wrong with the last two). There is no clear roadmap for how every child should learn to handle stress. But a couple things are clear:

It is absolutely our job as parents and as a society to do everything in our power to protect children from toxic stress.

It is also our job to make sure that our kids learn how to handle appropriate stress.

Goal One: Let's work together to tackle toxic stress in our communities. It is a big and complicated goal, but a worthy one. Feel overwhelmed? Here's a theory of change that can get the conversation going.

Goal Two: Let's leave the quick n' easy stress busters on the shelf and opt for building resilience instead.

Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity and to bounce back from challenge. Resilience is what enables our kids to fall down and pick themselves up again. Resilience is not hard wired. It can be nurtured and learned.

Here are some places to start:

• Praise effort and persistence more than natural talent. "I am so proud that you worked at that math problem even though it wasn't easy. Way to go!"
• Don't do things for your kids that they can do themselves. My dad once cleaned the bathroom for me when I was a kid and my mom confronted him with a brilliant line: "Dave? Do you want a clean bathroom or a competent daughter?" She's a wise one, my mom.
• Follow through with limits and consequences. Easier said than done, I know. But oh so important. Gather your parent friends around you to help you with this one.
• Listen to and acknowledge your child's feelings."It sounds like lunch time was really tough today. You sound really frustrated with your friends."
• Encourage your child to come up with solutions to challenges."What might you try next? What else could you do? Let's come up with a game plan together."