What is Your Child Trying to Tell You?

Is your child crabby? Is she having trouble in school? Does she get sick frequently? There could be many reasons for this.

An important question to ask yourself: “Is she getting enough sleep?” I’ve blogged about that before. Kids need a lot of sleep.

Another aspect to investigate is her nutritional intake. If you’re not sure, ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist. You might be surprised at how easy it is to tweak your family’s diet to get more value from your grocery budget—not just in your wallet but also in terms of health and wellness.

What about her schedule? Does she have any “down time” to just relax and daydream? Does she have daily afterschool activities? Consider letting her choose a favorite and eliminate the others.

Is she organized? Sometimes children get overwhelmed if they have not yet developed organizational skills. Check her agenda book. (I’ve blogged about that before, too.) Is she writing down her assignments? Keeping on top of due dates helps alleviate a lot of stress for everyone—parents and students alike.

Sometimes our children can’t vocalize what they are feeling. Sometimes it manifests in negative behaviors or even illness. If your child seems unhappy, listless, or isn’t doing well in school, a little detective work goes a long way.