Are US children as stressed as the children of Haiti!? -- Dr. Vicki Panaccione, Better Parenting Institute

Jan. 25, 2011 - PRLog -- CONTACT:
Dr. Vicki Panaccione
321-795-9218
drvicki@askdrvicki.com

Are US children as stressed as the children of Haiti!?
Overprotecting Parents Alert: Kids aren’t feeling safe!

Overprotecting parents are getting a wake up call:

Dr. Vicki Panaccione, child psychologist with the Better Parenting Institute, has announced that the earthquake in Haiti isn’t the biggest source of stress for children these days. While we are all watching world events, we are missing the disasters playing out each and every day in the lives of children whose overprotecting parents warn them about yet another person to fear or place to avoid.

Melbourne, FL---Dr. Vicki Panaccione has officially put overprotecting parents on notice. Kids’ fear for their personal safety is higher than it’s been in almost 3 decades! And we haven’t even had an earthquake here! Our kids haven’t lost their homes, their family members or their worldly possessions. But they have lost their sense of safety and security.

As Dr. Vicki stated: “In my 28 years of working as a child psychologist, I have never seen children’s anxiety be of such epidemic proportions before. Although overprotecting parents mean well, they are actually instilling greater fear in their children, to the point that they no longer feel safe even in their own homes!”

Dr. Vicki went on to say: “You might think that disasters such as the Haiti earthquake, the Chilean miners or the BP oil spill would bring about the greatest anxiety in kids today. Yet, it’s not the world events that scare kids the most. It’s their overprotecting parents that make their schools, their neighborhoods and even their own homes feel scary and unsafe.”

Dr. Vicki has identified 10 key factors that overprotecting parents need to know when it comes to helping their kids feel safe. Here are 3:

• The more parents worry, the more their kids worry.
-- It’s important to keep adult worries with the adults. Kids do not have the emotional nervous system to handle the information that parents are processing.
-- Providing reassurances about the measures parents have taken to keep their kids safe (i.e.—moving to a safe neighborhood, having an alarm system, sleeping on the second floor, etc.) goes a long way in helping kids feel safe.
• The more restrictions placed on kids’ activities, the more anxious they become.
-- Whenever parents warn children away from a certain location or person, those become known as unsafe areas. If too many restrictions are implemented, then it can feel to kids that there aren’t many places or people with whom they can feel safe. Therefore, the world is scary and they aren’t safe!
-- Focus on the places and people who are safe, so that kids feel they live in a safe, friendly world rather than one that’s filled with nothing but dangers.
• The more parents watch over their kids, the less safe they feel.
-- The more parents insist on hovering over their children, the less independent children become. This creates an unhealthy dependence within the child, who then becomes less able to venture into the world beyond the safety of their overprotecting parents' watchful eye.
-- Instead, parents need to allow their children little bits of freedom and independence at a time, decreasing the limits as they show that they are responsible and can handle the independence given.
-- Teach children to make good decisions, and what they need to do if they find themselves in any unsafe or uncomfortable situation.

These 3 tips are just a few of the ways in which overprotecting parents can raise kids to be cautious but not anxious…to feel safe enough to go to school, play with friends and lay down to sleep at night.

The complete report: Help Your Kids Feel Safe: Top 10 Tips for Overprotecting Parents is available for immediate download at www.gettingkidstotalk.com. And, to help as many overprotecting parents as possible, this valuable report is available now for only $2.

For media inquiries, to arrange for an interview or an expert quote, please contact Dr. Vicki Panaccione at 321-795-9218.

Dr. Vicki has over 28 years of experience in treating children, teens and families. She has been called, “The World’s Expert in Parenting,” and “The Oprah Winfrey of Families.” She is an internationally recognized psychologist, speaker, parent coach, consultant, radio personality and best-selling author. She has written two award-winning books: What Kids Would Tell You…If Only You’d Ask! and Your Child’s Inner Brilliance…Parent Guide to Discovery.

Dr. Vicki is a much sought-after media expert, frequently quoted in publications such as The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, People, Parents Magazine, Life & Style, Woman’s Day and Family Circle, as well as web sites, including: Newsday, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, WebMD, iParenting and lovetoknow. She is featured internationally on Heartbeat Radio for Women, with a weekly show entitled, Kids are from Krypton; Parents are from Pluto. Dr. Vicki serves as the parenting consultant for Nickelodeon’s website parentsconnect.com, parentalwisdom.com and is on the Advisory Board for Club Esteem and a Guild Member of The Haven for abused children.

She is a passionate and dedicated child psychologist committed to compassionate and connection between parents and kids. Her mission:
To help parents raise happy, successful kids…and enjoy the ride.

Dr. Vicki can be reached at www.gettingkidstotalk.com or 321-795-9218

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Better Parenting Insitute is an on-line resource center for parents looking to improve their parenting skills. Dr. Vicki Panaccione,child psychologist, parenting expert and chief contributor, has worked with kids, parents and families for over 25 yrs.

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