3 Strategies to Build Resilient Children in a Chaotic World | Parenting Tips from a Therapist
3 Core Strategies to Build Resilient Children in a Chaotic World | Parenting Tips from a Psychotherapist
Welcome back! Licensed Psychotherapist Vida Lowe shares three core strategies—Containment, Conversation, and Control (also referred to as Building Resistance)—to help parents nurture resilient children amidst global chaos. Understanding that children and adolescents do not have fully developed prefrontal cortexes until their late teens or early 20s, they process global events as happening directly to them or their family. It is our job as caregivers to ensure they feel safe and contained.
Learn actionable tips for curating information, implementing a news diet for teens, teaching mindfulness and grounding techniques, and using age-appropriate conversations to establish empathy and control.
Key Takeaways & Keywords:
• Containment: The critical first step, which involves monitoring news consumption and curating information shared in the home. Parents must also model calm behavior.
• Conversation: Using age-appropriate methods to discuss world events, shifting fear into active empathy and giving children a sense of control.
• Building Resistance/Control: Acknowledging feelings, teaching inner resilient skills (like the 4-7-8 breathing method), practicing positive self-talk, and prioritizing joy.
This video is essential for parents looking for proven parenting strategies to navigate complex, challenging times and raise emotionally secure and capable children.
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TIMESTAMPS
Introduction: The Child’s Perspective
0:00 - Introduction to the 3 Core Strategies: Containment, Conversation, and Control
0:35 - Why children and teens process global events differently (undeveloped prefrontal cortex)
Strategy 1: Containment
1:40 - Monitoring news and curating information (The News Diet)
2:00 - Limiting passive consumption (Turning off background news)
3:00 - Strategies for managing teen phone and news usage 4:00 - The importance of modeling calm as a parent/caregiver
5:05 - Why you must take your own space/vent away from children
Strategy 2: Conversation
5:35 - Having calm, age-appropriate conversations
6:05 - Talking to 5–10-year-olds (Asking: "What have you heard?")
6:50 - Talking to pre-teens (9–12 years): Context and control (Helping community/family)
7:20 - Talking to adolescents (12+): Focusing on ethics and action (Active helping/volunteering)
Strategy 3: Building Resistance (Control)
7:50 - Acknowledging feelings and establishing their importance
8:30 - Turning passive fear into active empathy
9:00 - Inner resilient skills: Mindfulness and Grounding
9:45 - Practicing the 4-7-8 breathing method
10:20 - Mindfulness strategies for children (Observing nature/trees)
11:10 - The skill of positive self-talk and connectedness
11:55 - Prioritizing joy to combat anxiety and depression
Conclusion
12:55 - Final summary: Prioritizing love, empathy, and modeling calm are key
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