In my conversations with high school students, the most common theme that stands out is stress. Many students today struggle with more than just the typical teen stresses of having the right outfit, break ups, curfews and peer pressure. However, from my experience I see young adults facing ever increasing grown up concerns. Two of my students have siblings in jail. A majority of my students struggle to find their role in their family; which is made up of step-parents, step-siblings and half-siblings. They worry whether they will be able to afford to continue living in their house. If both parents are still married, often they both work full-time jobs and have little time or energy to give to their kids.
On the other hand, they may put all their time and energy into their children. As helicopter parents, they hover over their children critiquing every move their child makes. These parents dictate every decision. They put enormous pressure on their children to take AP and Honors classes and get all A’s. Stress levels increase as the pressure to excel and succeed increases.
How as counselors, teachers, parents and family can we support and encourage our children to succeed without putting unrealistic expectation on them? My thoughts are take time to build a relationship. Use encouragement and listen to the students’ thoughts, feelings and wants. Once we begin to understand who they are or want to become; trust and respect develop. If students know you are there for them, they have hope and can learn to hope with the stress better
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