Dr. Cristina Sevadjian

Hi Friends,

As the school year comes to a close and we usher in summer, I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts. The end of the school year is a lot for parents and our children! Many children who do not normally struggle with worry or fear now worry about end-of-year exams, even if their grades “do not technically count.” It can feel overwhelming to try and remember so much information, and our children have high standards for themselves.

Parents often seek ways to support their children during times of higher stress. Here are a few reminders of tools to use with your children:

1. Check-in with them. How are they coping with stress? Are they feeling overwhelmed? (Learning to cope with stress is so important!)
2. Provide reassurance that stress during finals is normal and will resolve when exams end.
3. Encourage them to eat well, get sleep, sit outside, and take breaks.
4. Check in on their expectations of themselves. What are their goals? Are they too high and/or unrealistic? If so, then help them get to a more realistic place.
5. If you have a child that strives to do well, try to not add pressure as parents (they are putting enough of it on themselves!). This means not asking a lot of questions related to grades or saying “do you really want an 89 in that class?”  You have the best intentions, but adding pressure with these types of children actually leads to a decrease in their performance.

Now I’ll shift gears for a moment - I encourage all (including myself) to slow down this summer. Many of us find our family life hurried and heavily scheduled. While this can feel unavoidable, take the summer to move slower, have more family meals/discussions, and allow children more time to be creative. Take time to make memories with your children. Some of my favorite memories of childhood were family trips we took together! Take time to pick the flowers, listen to the rain, and enjoy the trees blowing in the breeze. This type of mindfulness helps us to enjoy the Lord’s creation and refocus on what is truly important in our lives. All of that to say, my prayer for myself and our community is to have a restful, fun, and enjoyable summer spending time with the people we love! Happy Summer!