Dealing with an injured child can make you feel as though the world is coming down around you. The stress of the situation can make you sometimes forget that you’re the parent in the situation. Here are some of the steps that you can take in order to properly console your child.
Keep Your Cool
Even though you may want to freak out, you have to remain calm. Your child will be taking their cues from you and even the most minor of injuries can take on a life of their own. Take a deep breath before you dive into the situation. Keeping your cool will also make it easier for you to be able to take the appropriate actions. This could be that you need to administer first aid or that you should be calling for help. Staying in control of your emotions will help teach your children to control theirs as well. It is always important to set the example. Furthermore, if you freak out when your child is injured, they will think it is worse than it is, and will react accordingly. Stay calm as you can, it will make the situation much easier to navigate.
Talk through It
Keep a running dialogue with your child. Sometimes just hearing your voice will be enough to help them calm down. Explain the injury to them and what you plan on doing about it. Let them know that it will be okay even if you’re afraid that the situation is dire. Give your child a task that will be able to assist you with what needs to be done. Being able to help may serve to restore their feeling of control. Helping your children to feel in control will help them in so many different ways, they are literally innumerable. Talking helps kids get their true feelings off their chest, because it helps reduce stress.
Gather Knowledge
In some instances, the injury is more severe than basic first aid measures will allow. Know your limitations in treating these types of injuries so that you can get the right kind of treatment for your child. Another thing that you may want to consider after the crisis has passed is speaking to a personal injury attorney. Having as much information as possible about the given situation will help you to restore some semblance of control for yourself. Learning more about what you options are is something that will be empowering to you and your children.
Practice Redirection
The art of redirection is classic with kids. This is where you get them to focus their attention on something else that’s less distressing. Ask them open ended questions about things that they want to do or what they did for the day. Anything that will draw their attention away from what’s bothering them. This technique also tends to be effective with adults so that it will give you something else to focus on instead of the injury.
There are some basic ways that you can console your child when they’ve suffered from an injury. Use these tips to help you through the process.
