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www.FredericksburgParent.NET 19 CONQUER FEAR WITH KNOWLEDGE Fears about children's safety drive anxiety among many parents, and with frequent news reports about violence at American schools, that fear is understandable. But it's not insurmountable. One way parents can cope with and reduce fears they may feel about their children's safety during the school day is to get involved at school, Dolan said. "If we can get our families involved in our schools, I think some of those safety concerns will naturally go down, because you have that exposure and that experience of 'What does it look like? What are we doing to keep the children safe?'" she said. By gaining knowledge about the environment and people where their kids are spending their days, parents can reduce the unknowns that may be driving safety fears. CONNECTION STARTS AT HOME Dolan recalls instituting a tradition she jokingly called "Forced Family Fun" when her kids were younger. Even if it means pushing back when a child would rather play video games or scroll social media, she recommends making the effort to have regular family activities that do not revolve around electronics. "These can be things like board game nights, making cookies together, engaging in a family movie night," she said. "It's absolutely worth the fight it sometimes takes to make these things happen." Hunter says this "quality time" is crucial to helping children build the strong family connections that can help protect them when they experience high levels of stress. And it can even be incorporated into more mundane activities like household chores. "Make it a game. See who can separate laundry the fastest," she said. ENCOURAGE EMOTIONAL LITERACY A focal point of Hunter's office is a giant tapestry that depicts a "feelings wheel" full of words to describe the spectrum of human emotion. "Before I start any session with my kiddos, I say, 'Look at the feel- ings wheel and tell me where you are today,'" she said. "They will start naming off the emotions, and the visual gives them the lan- guage they need to describe what is happening in their emotional lives." She encourages parents to model this by naming their own emo- tions with their children, and helping to pass on that vocabulary. REMEMBER TO MODEL Both Dolan and Hunter emphasize the important role that parents, caregivers and others who spend time with children play in teaching by example. "Children are going to watch how we cope, and they are going to emulate those skills," Dolan said. "We are the blueprint in these chil- dren's lives," Hunter said. "They are listening and watching." Scan to visit our website for more information about resilience. RECOMMENDED READING "The Anxious Genera on" by Jonathan Haidt "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connec on in a Some mes Lonely World" by Vivek H. Murthy, M.D. hope starts here. 540.373.3223 WWW.RAPPAHANNOCKAREACSB.ORG WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF HOPE AND HELP. RAPPAHANNOCK AREA COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD Sponsored Material Sponsored Material Visit www.rappahannockareacsb.org for clinic locations and more information on available services.