Everyday Practices to Help Your Child Feel Safe in a Scary World

Raising well-rounded kids can be challenging in today’s hectic and unpredictable world, but you can provide them with the emotional tools they need to feel secure.

If you want to cradle your child with a loving security blanket when life seems scary and uncertain, here are some everyday ways you can keep him feeling safe and sound.

Provide your child with “The Four S’s”

As a huge fan of audio books, I’m thrilled to find a good listen that will help me better understand what makes my kids tick. I recently found a fantastic title that gave me, a veteran mom of eight, some helpful advice for helping my kids feel protected. It's The Power of Showing Up by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson.

Stress is a common part of every child’s life. When they feel a secure bond with their parent, they can navigate through these insecurities with less anxiety and tension. In The Power of Showing Up, Siegel and Bryson promote “The Four S’s." That means helping your child feel:

• Safe
• Seen
• Soothed
• Secure

Find ways to disconnect with the outside world. Turn off your phone when you’re having dinner as a family, schedule regular time to hang out and play a board game, or talk quietly after a meal. These are just a few simple but effective ways to show up and be present on a regular basis. These will become times you and your kids treasure and hold sacred.

"When children feel safe, seen (being known and understood), and soothed (being helped to feel calm and good again) most of the time (not perfectly), they develop security (where their brain wires to expect that people will see their needs and show up for them). ...Parenting isn’t easy, but showing up and being present is something we can all try to do."

Tina Payne Bryson

Establish boundaries and routines

One of the easiest ways you can offer your child a safety net in today’s hectic world is to establish boundaries and routines. Our kids not only need guidelines and structure but they actually crave them. Yes, I kid you not! Deep down, all kids (even moody teens) crave boundaries regardless of individual temperament. When they have structure, routines, and rules in place it offers them a sense of security because they know what’s expected of them. Boundaries help your child thrive by teaching them...

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