Helping Your Child Feel Safe

Structured Schedules Do the Trick
Grocery shopping, car- pooling, doing the laundry, mopping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, balancing the checkbook, paying the bills, feeding the dog, watering the plants… not to mention your 9 to 5 job which is never just 9 to 5. You can barely keep your own schedule structured, now add your child/children to the mix. Birthday parties, potty-training, doctor visits, parent-teacher conferences, after-school events, homework… AHHHHHHHHH!

When you think you are about to pull out your hair, strand by strand….take a deep breath, drive to the office supply store and buy some type of scheduling system. A calendar, day-timer, palm pilot…whatever will work to help you schedule your days and nights.

Structured Schedule Benefits
A structured schedule will help you deal with the events in your child’s life that are challenging. For example, a consistent bedtime that everyone sticks to will eliminate the “bedtime battles” every evening. When scheduling a bedtime, be sure to include extra time for preparatory activities such as grooming and bedtime story. This will also help your child anticipate “going to bed.” In addition, your child’s system will adjust to a consistent bedtime, which will help to regulate her moods during the day, thus making your life easier!

Find Time for You
Having a structured schedule will help you to get an accurate handle on your time. When making your schedule, be sure to book times for things like driving, showering, preparing dinner and even sleeping. As crazy as it may sound, this will give you a true picture of how much or how little time you have. When you find some free time, even 15 minutes, make sure to do something just for you.

Developing Safety and Security
The best part about getting your child on a schedule is that your child will get into a routine. Routines help children know what to expect. When a child can anticipate what is to come, she will develop an intrinsic sense of safety and security. Feelings of safety and security are the building blocks a child needs to develop into a well-adjusted adolescent and adult.

This article is provided by Susan Brindise a prediatric occupational therapist in Tampa Bay. More of her articles coming soon on what to teach a one-year old, and why sleep is so important. Email her at susanbrindise@msn.com.