By Dr. Carolyn Greene, VA Mental Health Services
With school out and warm weather, summertime can be a great time for kids; but it can be anything but a vacation for parents. It can be stressful having your kids home more, balancing your schedules and keeping the entire family happy – and entertained.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) developed Parenting for Service Members and Veterans (Parenting) help parents reconnect with their children and strengthen their families. While Parenting is useful and applicable all year, use the extra time your kids have during the summer as a time to (re) connect. Parenting offers tools and resources for parents with children of all ages – from newborns to teenagers.
Parenting is one of three courses in the VA Online Self-Help Resource Center. All courses are completely confidential, free and available online 24/7. No log in and no registration required. You can take the course at the pace and place of your choosing.
This course is different from other self-help resources because it focuses on the parents’ needs, not just on those of the children. Parenting has several modules and you can choose what interests you and/or what is relevant. Modules feature practical advice and interactive multi-media, including:
- Videos of real military families discussing their challenges and how they overcame them
- Quizzes to better understand your parenting style
- Tools to help you improve your work-life balance
- Information on the specific behaviors and emotions children display at different ages
- How to incorporate much-needed “me-time” into your day
The Resource Center also features Anger & Irritability Management Skills and Moving Forward, courses that teach ways to reduce stress and anger and solve problems to help you overcome challenging situations.
Enjoy summer and make the most of your time with your family; visit www.veterantraining.va.gov/parenting/
