Judge less, talk more
Dubai-based clinical psychologist, Dr Christina Burmeister, said parents could try to shift their approach from only teaching children how to behave to understanding the reason behind their behaviour.
“Especially during Ramadan, if everyone could put away their judgement of the other person and openly discuss how they see the world and how it affects them at their job or school, it can really help them connect again without worrying about being judged.”
Remember your childhood
“If parents remember what they were like when they were young, they become more open to their children’s struggle. Children are just learning from what’s around them, they are not being ‘bad children’. They just need someone to tell them what is wrong,” Dr Christina Burmeister told Gulf News.
Stay positive
Constantly keeping negative thoughts about your partner of family member can have an extremely negative influence on a relationship, Dr Andrea Tosatto, a clinical psychologist based in Dubai, said. Instead, try to only keep positive thoughts.
“Attachment is the result of persistent emotional investment, which is the result of positive thoughts,” he said.
Put the focus back on family meals.
A 2004 study by the University of Minnesota, US, suggested that eating family meals may enhance the health and wellbeing of adolescents, and a 2010 study showed that they decreased certain problem behaviours like substance abuse, delinquency and physical violence.
Talk about family history.
A 2001 study by researchers at Emory University, US, found that children who knew about their parents and grandparent’s lives showed higher levels of self-esteem, stronger self belief, better family functioning, lower levels of anxiety, fewer behavioural problems and better chances to cope with educational, emotional or behavioural difficulties.
Reduce your own stress.
A stressed out parent leads to a stressed out child. The 2013 book The Secrets of Happy Families stated: “Studies have shown that parental stress weakens children’s brains, depletes their immune systems, and increases their risk of obesity, mental illness, diabetes, allergies, even tooth decay.”
