The pandemic years created an emotional pressure cooker for families. Children absorbed the stress around them, and parents often carried the impossible task of holding everything together. Even now, many families are still feeling the ripple effects — increased anxiety, clinginess, irritability, sleep issues, and big emotional reactions that seem to come out of nowhere.
If you’re noticing worried feelings or worried behaviors in your child (or in yourself), these questions can help you understand what’s happening and what you can do to support a calmer, more grounded home.
Parenting & Family Life — Categories & Questions
- How can I tell when my child’s “acting out” is really worried feelings showing up as worried behaviors?
- How do my own stress and worry influence the way my child feels and behaves?
- What can I do to help my child feel secure again when the world has felt unpredictable for so long?
Parenting & Family Life
How can I tell when my child’s “acting out” is really worried feelings showing up as worried behaviors?
Worried feelings often come out sideways in kids — clinginess, irritability, sleep issues, tantrums, or “defiance.” These aren’t personality flaws; they’re distress signals. When behavior seems bigger than the situation, it’s usually anxiety looking for a way out. Respond to the worry beneath the behavior, not the behavior.
Source: Parenting in the Pandemic
How do my own stress and worry influence the way my child feels and behaves?
Kids read our nervous systems more than our words. When we’re tense, overwhelmed, or scattered, they mirror it through worried behaviors. Modeling calm isn’t about perfection — it’s about showing that big feelings can be handled. Regulated parents create regulated kids.
Source: Parenting in the Pandemic
What can I do to help my child feel secure again when the world has felt unpredictable for so long?
Safety comes from predictability and connection. Keep routines steady, narrate what’s happening, slow your pace, and validate their feelings. Kids don’t need guarantees — they need to know someone steady is holding the moment. Your calm presence is the anchor that makes their world feel safe again.
Source: Parenting in the Pandemic
