News for a healthier you from your
SOLUTIONS
Vo l u m e 3
2010
Anxiety in Children: Sometimes
It’s Normal
Anxiety is defined as "apprehension without apparent cause.” It occurs when there is no immediate threat to a
person's safety or well being, but the threat feels real. Everyone experiences anxieties and fears at one time or
another. Anxiety makes someone want to escape the situation — fast.
Feeling anxious in a particularly uncomfortable situation never feels very good. With children, such feelings
are not only normal, they are also necessary. Experiencing and dealing with anxieties, helps teach ways to
handle the discomfort and challenging situations. Having fears about certain things can also be helpful
because it causes children to behave in a safe way. For example, a child with a fear of fire would avoid
playing with matches.
Typical Developmental Anxiety
As children grow, one fear may disappear or replace another. Often, your child's fears will resolve before they become a
serious cause for concern. It doesn’t mean the anxiety should be discounted or ignored; rather, it should be considered
as a factor in your child's normal development. Reassurance and nurturing will help them overcome or outgrow it.
Babies experience “stranger anxiety,” clinging to parents when confronted by people they don't recognize.
Toddlers around 10 to 18 months experience “separation anxiety,” becoming emotionally distressed when one or
both parents leave.
Kids ages 4 through 6 have anxiety about things that aren't based in reality, such as fears of monsters and ghosts.
Kids ages 7 through 12 often have fears that reflect real circumstances that may happen to them, such as bodily injury
and natural disaster.
Some signs to gauge whether your child’s anxiety is normal include becoming clingy, digestive problems, fidgeting, and
nervous movements. If your child has trouble in personal, social, and academic functioning, or there is anxiety about other
things, a more intensive intervention may be needed. Here are good questions to ask to determine if your child’s anxiety
is in the norm:
Is your child's fear and behavior typical for your child's age?
What are the symptoms of the fear, and how do they affect your child's normal functioning?
Does the fear seem unreasonable in relation to the reality of the situation, and could it be a sign of a
more serious problem?
If symptoms can be identified, adjustments can be made to alleviate some of the stress factors. If your child's fear seems
out of proportion to the cause of the stress, come see us at your EAP. We’re here to help!
Are you in charge of training at your company?
Solutions EAP offers workshop and training seminars on a variety of risk management and
wellness topics. For a list of available trainings, visit our website at www.solutions-eap.org.
Letting them Leave the Nest
College Survival Tips for Parents
Back To School
Safety Tips
As school gets back into session across Calcasieu
Parish, the Safety Council SWLA is warning both
students and drivers to be especially cautious on
area streets and roadways.
Students need to take responsibility for their safety
when traveling to school. However, motorists must
also be vigilant on the roads in order for area
children to get to and from school safely.
The Safety Council of SWLA offers these safety tips
for students and motorists sharing the roads:
Students
Pay attention to all traffic signals and/or the
crossing guard. Never cross the street against a
light, even if you don’t see traffic coming.
Stay on the sidewalk if possible.
During pre-dawn hours, wear light colored clothing
so you are more visible to street traffic.
Bike riders should walk their bike through
intersections.
Cross the street after looking LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT
and continue looking left and right while crossing.
Keep a look out for signs that a car is about to
move (exhaust smoke, sound of the motor, wheels
turning, and rear lights).
Never run or dart into a street.
Motorists
Slow down (especially in school zones).

Never pass a bus with its red lights flashing.
This applies to traffic in both directions
unless there is a raised barrier or a fourfoot median dividing the road.
Stay alert. Aggressively search your driving
environment, especially during school hours
and in school zones.
Do not pass a stopped car at an intersection; it may
be stopped for a student crossing the street.
Yield to all pedestrians. Do not try to go in front
or around a person in a crosswalk.
Sending a student to college is a major
milestone, not only for the student, but for
parents as well. It’s a time of transition
for students as they leave childhood behind
and start taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. It’s also a big
adjustment for parents as they struggle to let go and allow their
children to make this transition.
If you’ve done a good job getting them to this point, they’ll be ready
to take this next big step toward adulthood without any problems.
In fact, the best way you can prepare your teen for life on their
own is to teach them the skills they need in advance. By the end of
high school, your teen should:
Know how to manage their time. Beginning in high school, you
should no longer be monitoring homework. No one at your
child’s college is going to care if they come to class much less if
they do their homework. It is up to the student to get whatever
he/she can get out of college.
Understand the way the world works, mainly that choices lead to
consequences. Good choices typically lead to positive
consequences and bad choices lead to negative consequences.
This means parents must get out of the way and let their kids deal
with the natural consequences of their decisions.
Be financially responsible. By now, they should be making their own
money and managing it. They need to have a checking account,
and know how to balance it. Better for them to bounce a few
checks now in the security of home sweet home. They also need
to be paying for some, if not all, of their own expenses: car
insurance, gas, cell phones, clothes, entertainment, etc.
Know the basics of how to run a house and take care of
themselves: wash clothes, clean house, grocery shop, get their oil
changed, cook basic meals, etc.
If they can do these things, then you can be confident in their ability
to succeed at college. And if they don’t have these skills yet, they
need to develop them sooner, rather than later, or they’ll be living
with you for the rest of their life! College life offers a good,
somewhat protected environment for learning and improving these
life skills. You are not doing them any favors if you don’t force them
to become more independent. It really is time, at least in these
areas, to “cut the cord.”
Once they get to school, give your student some space. Let them
find their way as they settle into college life. Call and communicate
often, but don’t expect or demand the same from them. They may
get homesick and have doubts about their decision to leave home.
Even though you miss them just as much, don’t give in and bring
them back home. Give them encouragement and support. Tell
them it will be fine – it really will, you know – and make sure they
know you have confidence in them and are there for advice
whenever needed.
For caring and confidential help for personal and family problems, call Solutions EAP.
1201 Ryan St., Lake Charles, LA 70601
337-310-2822
877-246-7855
www.solutions-eap.org