Communication: Helping Kids Navigate Tough Situations
EMAIL 1
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: How does your child let you know they are in trouble?
Dear Parents,
It’s the moments when our children are away from us that we might worry about the most. When they are at school or hanging out at a friend’s house can be fun experiences for them, but stressful for a parent. It’s easy to let your mind get anxious about whether or not they are safe when they aren’t physically around you.
One way to help this situation is to teach your child a way to communicate with you if you need you to come and get them.
We give you a helpful communication tip in this month’s parent video. We hope you enjoy it!
To watch the brief video, click the link below.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/663404185/92b7cc598c
Thank you for the privilege of partnering with your family. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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EMAIL 2
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Helping Your Child Communicate that they are in Trouble
Dear Parents,
Ever since your child was a baby they’ve most likely been calling out for you when they need help.
When they get a little older they will find themselves in environments where you’re not around. So how do they ask for help in the middle of a spend the night party or sports practice? Â
We give some thoughts on how to navigate that in this month’s parent video.
To view the full video, click on the link below.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/663404185/92b7cc598c
As always, I enjoy partnering with your family. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
VIDEO
SOCIAL MEDIA SWAG
Your kids might find themselves in trouble but they aren’t sure how to ask you for help. They may need some ideas on how to navigate tough situations. We discuss that in this month’s parent video.
How does your child ask for help in the middle of a spend the night party or sports practice? We’ve got a tip for you in this month’s parent video that will help your child cue you that they need you.
This month’s parent video is out and it’s all about helping your child navigate tough situations.
Helping your child navigate awkward situations and ask for your help when they’re not with you is the subject of this month’s parent video. Â
VIDEO SCRIPT
Have you ever been in one of those situations when you were a kid where you didn’t know what to do? Maybe somebody puts a video in the recorder and plays something that’s very inappropriate. And as a child, you’re like, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m going to get in so much trouble, but I don’t know how to get out of this situation. Or maybe you’re in the hotel pool and everybody’s acting crazy and all the parents are about to call security and you know, as a kid that you don’t need to be
You need to get out of here, but you don’t know how to get out of the situation. How do we help our kids avoid getting in trouble when they’re in a tough situation ? Well, I’ve got some suggestions for you here’s. Two things.
First of all, give them permission to make you the bad guy. Let them say, “Hey, you know what? If I do this, I’m going to get in a huge amount of trouble with my parents. Aren’t my parents, so blah, blah, blah. I know, right?
But I know they will get on to me. So I need to check on out of here.”
Here’s the second thing, and this has been a really cool hack for us and our family, and I want to share it with you. Give them a secret code that they can use either by text or phone and be able to call you and say, “Hey, did I leave the lights on in my room?” That’s random, but what does that mean? Well, if you hear them say, did I leave the lights on in my room? That means get in the car and come get me now.
You can come up with something that they could text or call that would make no sense to anybody else, but it’s a code between you and them that says I’m in trouble. Help me. I’m in a situation that I don’t know how to get out of. This is past what I can handle. Please, please come and help.
And that is your call. It helps your child so much when they start getting into more social situations apart from you to know that they have not lost their ability to call on you for help. And it will help build trust. When you show up in those moments. So now when you’re in those teenage years and you’re advising them on how to live life, there’s even more trust you see how this all goes together.
Allow them to make you the bad guy to a certain level and then give them a code. These are some tips that can help your child get out of some really tough situations.