How to Prepare for A Meltdown-Free Summer
As summertime approaches, the change in seasons makes everything feel lighter.
Until you’re hit with the realization that just because you’ve stopped dealing with school refusal, summer camp refusal is right around the corner.
Or you know that screen time for your teen is about to increase tenfold and be way harder to manage.
Let’s face it.
Being a parent is more than a full-time job and when you have a kid that is stuck in the meltdown/shutdown cycle,
It feels like you never really get a break.
But what if I told you that this summer, you can break the meltdown cycle in as little as 8 weeks?
It’s totally in the realm of possibility for your family.
I know that because it’s what we do here at MTC.
Our team of experts work with parents to eliminate suicidal thoughts and actions among kids and teens by teaching parents how to help their children manage their emotions.
And now that you know exactly what we do here,
I’m going to tell you how you can squash the summer-time meltdowns.
First, realize that school refusal isn’t the problem.
As our Teen Expert Autumn Brennan likes to say,
“The problem is not the problem.”
You know that your kid isn’t just refusing to go to school or summer camp.
They’re refusing to get off their iPad and join the family at dinner,
Put on their shoes to go out the door,
Make plans with their friends and see family.
You know that it’s deeper than that.
Second, understand that your child isn’t doing this on purpose.
Your kid isn’t giving you a hard time for the sake of it.
They are genuinely struggling here, and they don’t have the skills to tell you that.
Chances are, they are unaware of WHY they are having full-body experiences in the form of meltdowns.
And that’s because they don’t understand how to manage their emotional experiences.
When you tiptoe around their emotions and anticipate their next blow up,
You are setting them up to anticipate it too.
This spirals out of control, because your child then believes that no matter what, it’s probably going to happen.
And then when it happens everyday, multiple times a day, multiple times a week,
It creates a meltdown cycle.
And YOU cannot manage their emotions for them.
This is a skill that needs to be taught by parents.
Taking your kid to a therapist that sits with them for an hour a week is not going to solve this problem.
Your child needs to learn from YOU because you know them best.
To get started with breaking the meltdown cycle,
It begins with changing the way you view yourself and your kid.
You MUST show them that you know exactly how to lead them through their rollercoaster of emotions.
And, you MUST see that this change is possible.
Teach your child how to express their needs effectively without hitting, kicking, or screaming.
They need to learn how to advocate for themselves,
And you can show them how to do that by advocating for them and their needs.
And if you don’t know exactly what it is they need,
That doesn’t make you a bad parent.
It just places you in the figuring it out stage.
And the best way to figure things out is by doing exactly what you’re doing.
Reading books, listening to podcasts, and seeing exactly how to help.
The thing is, books and podcasts and automated courses don’t give you the one on one support you need.
And if you are going to break out of the meltdown cycle,
You need experts to ask questions to,
Specific scenarios to work through,
And the peace in knowing that you are working with people who have helped hundreds of families get through this exact problem.
At MTC, we will provide you with the support you need to break the meltdown cycle in as little as 8 weeks.
We don’t work with every family who reaches out to us, because we want to make sure that we are the best fit for your family’s needs.
Book a free call with our team to get started on your journey. Summer is only getting shorter.
https://www.megghanthompsoncoaching.com/talk
For families with high school aged teens: https://www.megghanthompsoncoaching.com/teentalk
