In the photo above, Ashley Aligo, sitting with Valley Road School Principal Joseph Beltramba,offers parents strategies on what to do when their child is upset. (Photo courtesy of Clark Public Schools)
CLARK — On Wednesday, Feb. 6, Clark’s parent support group, It Takes a Village, organized by parent Mike Deitze, held their monthly meeting. Parents of children in the elementary schools get together to discuss different issues they are facing with their children, and brainstorm ways they can deal with them. Elementary school counselor Ashley Aligo was the guest speaker. The topic of this February’s meeting was “what to do when dealing with your child’s upsets.”
Aligo gave insight on what causes children to become upset and frustrated, and discussed different strategies that can be used when your child is experiencing frustration. “When a child is frustrated over a task they are trying to complete, it can be a great learning experience for that child. As an adult witnessing this frustration, you can turn their frustration into a positive emotion and use it to help motivate the child to their reach goals and learn self-control,” Aligo shared.
When a child is feeling upset or frustrated, it is important to remain calm as the adult, validate their feelings, figure out what specific thought triggered their frustration, and monitor their self talk, she told the group. Praising your child for their efforts and not just their outcomes not only fosters self-esteem, but it allows negative emotions to be less difficult for your child to deal with. Failures and frustrations often mean less to a child when they feel loved and know their parents are proud of them.
