Many of the parents I work with wonder how much sleep their child needs. And, simple said - it depends. But it’s easy to find the answer by considering a few important questions:

The first is, “Does my child receive enough sleep, rest and relaxation so he or she can learn, grow, participate and complete daily activities without becoming tired?”

The next is, “Does my child have a physical space, such as a bedroom, that helps them sleep, rest, and relax?

And the final question is, “Does my child have a social environment, such as a family routine or day care, that helps them sleep, rest and relax?

When put together, these questions answer the larger and more pressing question of whether a child’s sleep, rest and relaxation pattern is contributing to his or her health, growth, and development. Because in the end, that’s what sleep is for. Sleep supports maintaining a healthy body that is strong and resists illness. Sleep also gives the body time to rest so it can build and repair tissue for growth. And, finally, sleep is a time when the brain gets to process, organize and store all the learning that happened that day. So while sleep is a singular activity, it works on many different levels within the body.

I think one of the most difficult things we do to ourselves as parents is to make ourselves appear happy on the outside when we really feel stressed on the inside. The amount of energy it takes to put on a show of happiness is tremendous. Especially when we are already busy working on trying to solve what is making us feel stressed. The extra effort to appear happy taxes our system even more.

Modern life has given us this false idea that we have to be enjoying ourselves on a moment-to-moment basis to be successful or happy. There is a trend to document all the #beautiful, #authentic, #blessings, #whatever to show everyone that we’re making it. This can be as simple as the specialty coffee that drink every morning or sweaty selfies at the gym or even an Amazon haul to show of fashion forward we are.

From the outside our lives can appear to others as a fantasy or dream. Those people looking at our lives from the outside can’t see or feel the daily stress that creeps in just to get by. Jobs can be challenging, children can go through periods that test our patience as parents, illnesses can surprise us, and sometimes there is just bad luck that throws us a curveball. This dissonance between what we actually live and what we present to others to see from the outside can create a social pressure to give people what they expect. It can almost make us feel like we have an unconscious obligation to perform.

There are numerous costs to us, and our families, when we pretend we are fine, even when we’re not.

Today’s topic is a hot one because it deals with video game addiction. Gaming is a big part of a lot of people’s lives and can be a wonderful source of entertainment. However, as with most things, too much of anything usually isn’t that good for us. So today we are going to look at new information about how gaming can become problematic for some children and teens. It’s important that parents know the risks and help guide their children towards a balanced use of video game engagement to avoid problems later. Prevention is the key to avoiding fights and issues related to video game playing.