We all feel the pressure to perform in life, and this pressure can have a tremendous impact on our kids. This REAL TALK: PARENT GUIDE is designed to help you facilitate an open and honest conversation with your child about the pressure they feel to perform. With this guide, you can be more intentional this month about carving out some time to have some real conversations and hearing from your kid’s perspective.
Take some time to sit down as a family or one-on-one with your child and talk through the questions provided below. Don’t just interrogate your kid. Instead, take the time to listen intently, be honest, allow them to share things from their perspective, and even honestly answer the questions yourself. The authenticity you show to your child will model for them healthy ways to have real and important conversations.
- Would you say that you feel the pressure to perform in any area of your life? Tell me about that.
- Do you feel the pressure to perform coming from anyone in our family? If so, can you describe what you feel?
- Where does most of the pressure you feel to perform come from? Me or us? Coaches? Siblings? Social media? Teachers? Peers? Yourself?
- In what areas of life do you feel the most pressure to perform? School? Sports? With your friends? With your family?
- How do you think feeling a lot of pressure to perform is impacting your life on a daily basis?
- If there was one thing you could change that would reduce the pressure you feel in any area of life, what would you change? What would be different for you and the pressure you feel because of that change?
- What are some things I/we can do as your parents to reduce the pressure you feel and help you feel a healthy pressure to perform?
- Are there any things you can do or tools you can use to help yourself reduce the amount of pressure you feel to perform?
- How can I pray for you as you learn how to navigate the pressure to perform in life?
Conclude your conversation by praying together as a family and identifying 2-3 action steps for the next few months.
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