UW Pediatrician Says Help Your Kids Keep Stress Down as They go Back to School

Monday, August 14th, 2023 -- 8:01 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) Back to school season can be hectic and stressful for your kids, so be sure to keep an eye on their mental wellbeing.

Back to school season can be hectic and stressful for your kids, so be sure to keep an eye on their mental wellbeing. Dr. Marcia Slattery from UW Pediatrics says kids go into each school year with a lot of unknowns that could stress them out.

"We don't know who our teachers are going to be where our classrooms are. For some kids moving into middle school, for example, will my locker combination work? A variety of different worries."

Dr. Slattery from UW Pediatrics says parents should know that developmental changes in tweens and teens can drive anxieties. "During an earlier grade school, the focus is really on activities and tasks. Whereas when we're moving into middle school and high school, it's much more a gradual shift to a social emphasis. And that can be incredibly confusing."

Dr. Slattery from UW Pediatrics says parents should be mindful of the social pressures facing children at school. "They're just not quite sure how to put all the pieces together yet. So parents need to have some flexibility and give some room for kids to understand and learn what's happening."

Dr. Slattery says you should keep an eye on your child's social life and make sure they're getting support at a time when they're figuring out who they are as a person. She says focusing simply on academic outcomes can put more stress on kids going through a rough time.

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