Raising a family is one of the hardest jobs any parent faces. A comment that is often heard from women who have had both the experience of being out in theworkforce and being a stay-at-home mom, is that going to the office each day is much easier. While many parents don’t realize it, one of the important aspects of maintaining a healthy family is having the ability to manage the stress level within the home. In fact, according to the American PsychologicalAssociation, a study in 2010 showed that over 2/3 of parents think their stress level has a minimal impact on their child’s stress level. However, only 14% of adolescents reported that they aren’t bothered by their parent’s stress.
So, caregivers and parents out there who are feeling unusual levels of anxiety due to pressure at work, with the economy or for other social reasons, should take heed. Children are affected by their parents stress and often model their behavior. Adults who deal with their stress in unhealthy ways like overeating, drinking too much alcohol, or with angry behavior, are influencing and promoting their children to follow these guidelines as well.
We know that making life changes while trying to manage a family, work and other life commitments can be challenging. If you are wondering how to improve your stress and anger management skills, but are hesitant to add one more item to your already busy day, then consider taking a parenting class on your computer. Online courses are becoming more and popular as adults realize high quality education is available at the tap of a button. Online parenting classes can easily be accessed from any Internet based computer, at any time of the day or night. This opens up a whole new world to a mom or dad who is too busy with the kids during the day to think about trying to take a traditional classroom course for self-improvement. Simply register for the course length you are interested in (they range from 4 – 26 hours), and log in and out whenever you have free time. There is no deadline or rush to get through the material, and nothing to download or print out. The information is all right there on the screen on your IPad, laptop or PC.
A 4-hour parenting class covers the latest in education about techniques and skills to help you be a better parent. The course will guide you to reflect about what parenting style best suits your family and how to effectively set boundaries and limits for your kids. Furthermore, parents learn how to manage stress and how to speak and listen to your kids for the most successful outcome. Another important aspect taught is how to manage anger and conflict resolution within the household so it doesn’t escalate or remain quietly harbored until some future date.
Parents can always use new skills to help them grow and improve this very important job of raising happy, healthy children. Online parenting classes are a convenient, interesting and educational tool to use to help obtain a successful outcome.