How to Prepare Your Child for Unexpected Situations

 After what has happened in the year 2020 and 2021, it just goes to show that we need to stay prepared and to expect the unexpected. As a parent, it’s important to protect your child, however, they will be exposed to things that parents cannot control. It’s important to begin preparing your children to handle situations on their own. But to also handle and manage difficult situations, even when they have their parents with them. It’s best to teach your child to grow strong and to handle what life throws at them. You’re not always going to be there to assess the situation and to take it on. So it’s best to begin teaching your child to do critical thinking and to be prepared. 

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As a parent, how do you know when to start teaching your kids to manage tough situations and deal with unexpected events?

It all starts with demonstrating problem-solving skills. It usually begins at the age of four years old and by the time that the child is six they can use examples within their environment to begin problem-solving. While it’s going to be difficult to have your child struggle to grasp and understand some issues. It’s best to allow them to get a head start in their skills.  As they age, it will be easier for them to handle these.

 

Teach your children to properly process and access a situation

As adults, you know not to just jump headfirst into a situation without thinking. This is a characteristic that a lot of children have. It’s best to go ahead and teach them how to properly start their thought process so they can begin managing their problem-solving skills. Give them opportunities to use this thought process for low-risk situations. One process could be:

• Figure out what exactly is happening in this situation

• Break down the situation

• What is the most important thing that could currently be done

• How can you make the situation better?

Teach your child to focus on their response

There are many aspects in life that just can't be controlled, however, we can control ourselves. It’s important to teach your children that they have zero control of the world around them. They can have some influence at best, but they can only control themselves. Let them understand that they must keep control of their emotions and think clearly, even in the worst of situations. Children often learn at a young age that there are consequences to their actions.

 They’ll eventually understand cause and effect. A great way to get them to have a better understanding of cause and effect and their control would be to play out scenarios with them. Both board games and video games are great examples of cause and effect and they could be used to help achieve that understanding of control.

Have them gain an understanding of emergencies

Emergencies are a huge part of preparing for the unexpected. Schools will usually have fire, earthquake, and tornado drills. But what about drills at home? For some households, they prepare their children for a household crisis. This is a good idea because anything could happen in the safety and comfort of home. Does your child know how to dial 911? Do they know how to stay calm in scary and stressful situations? If there is a fire at home, do they know where the fire extinguisher is and how to operate it? How about if there is a tornado and they’re home alone?

These are questions that need to be answered, as your child must learn how to navigate these as a child and as an adult.  So it’s best to address these with your child and teach them the appropriate measures on how they can handle these emergencies. An unexpected event could happen at any time, it could be such a big emergency where you’ll need to step in and look for knowledgeable personal injury attorneys. So it’s best to not neglect the small things either. Overall, teach your children how to be level-headed in an emergency and let them know in certain ones what they should do.

 

Time and money also count

When it comes to unexpected events, even emergencies, time and money could be factors to help with solving the situation. Many adults face unforeseen problems with finances. Finances are something that can get a person stuck. It’s very important to teach children the importance and value of money and why it’s so important to save money. The same can be said for time. Time is something that children also need to learn how to value.  While there is time to foster creativity, children also need to learn to allocate time to other things such as homework. This is all a part of self-discipline while also preparing them for unexpected events.