So now that we’ve talked about what resiliency is, what brings you here today?
Pic 12: The screen returns to Hope at the café.
Player chooses “I’d like to learn more about resiliency and parenting.”
HOPE: Great! So let’s start with one of the cornerstones of building resiliency with kids. So where do we even start when it comes to building resiliency?
Pic 13: The words “Establishing a Conversation Foundation” appear above an icon of two speech bubbles next to Hope. The words “Communication skills” appear under the icon.
HOPE: For our family, what helped the most was first establishing a conversation foundation. We did this by learning better communication skills when talking with each other, and then making it a point to actually spend time together communicating.
Pic 14: The icon and bottom text is replaced with the words “Spend time together” and an icon of a clock.
HOPE: When you have a solid conversation foundation together, it'll make having tough conversations easier and allow little check ins to happen naturally. Once you have that foundation for conversations, it'll be easier for your child to share when things aren't going well. That's where resiliency happens, you can talk through ways to overcome a challenge.
Pic 15: The bottom text and icon is replaced with an icon of a book, a puzzle and a paper snowflake with scissors.
HOPE: You can practice these skills by reading together, solving puzzles, or even making something together. It's about normalizing the conversation, knowing that things can get tough, and how not to give up.
Today we'll talk more about how to build that foundation, learn those conversation skills, as well as other activities that build resilience. Before we begin, right now, how confident are you talking to your kids about building their resiliency?
Player chooses “Fairly confident.”
HOPE: It sounds like resiliency has come up and you sometimes talk about it together. Here are some topics we’ll cover that can help you know what to say when you talk about resiliency with your children.
Pic 16: The screen changes to one with the title “What to Expect” and the subtitle “How to talk about and build resiliency together.”
How to identify concerning behaviors
How and when to approach your child about concerns you have
How to get support and connect to resources
Pic 17: The screen returns to Hope at the café.
HOPE: Just to get started, what’s the age of the child you want to talk about today? And if you have more than one kid you’d like to talk about, feel free to come back later and we can talk about them too!
Info: All choices and information shared are anonymous.
Player chooses “They’re in middle school, between 12 and 14 years old.”
HOPE: Okay, great. There are a few different skills when it comes to building resiliency that we can talk about today.
Pic 18: A banner appears with the words “Identify,” “Approach,” and “Support.” As Hope mentions each of them, the word is highlighted.
HOPE: The strategies that I’ve found to be helpful I call Identify, Approach, and Get Support.
Identify is a helpful skill when your child might be going through a challenge. Perhaps you’ve noticed a change in their behavior or attitude. Sometimes the changes could be something ranging from struggling to transition from TV time to dinner time, or something like missing school. We’ll also talk about identifying behaviors that could be of concern.
You can also Approach your child about building resiliency. It’s great to learn effective communication techniques that will help set the foundation for and build resiliency. Some of these are: starting a conversation, modeling listening skills, and activities you can do together. If any of these interest to you, this might be a good topic to cover!
Finally, you can Get Support for your child or yourself from support services. There’s a range of services and we talk about where to go if you’re looking for some extra guidance. We also talk about where to go if your child is showing more concerning behaviors, or if you don’t feel equipped to help them with what they're going through.
So what topic would you like to talk about first? Remember we can always chat about other topics at any point.
Player chooses “Identify.”
HOPE: Identifying is the first step in building resiliency. It means knowing your child and noticing when things change. These changes could be something like when my kids started having trouble with bedtime routines. It could also be something more serious like if they are being more withdrawn or showing signs of anxiety or depression. This section will allow you to choose behaviors you may have noticed, and help guide you to next steps.
Once you’ve noticed a change, you can learn more about how to bring it up and start a conversation around resiliency.
Pic 19: The words “Friends and self image” appear next to Hope with an image of three small profiles connected with a plus sign to an image of a single figure with rays around them.
HOPE: Now your child is between 12 and 14, right? Children at this age are entering their pre teen years which can be all about their friends and self image. Passive aggressive behavior is common and can be a good time to have conversation around healthy self image and building good relationships. These conversations can be a great way to bring up resiliency.
Pic 20: The words “Identify any changes in behavior” appears next to Hope with an icon of an eye.
Spending time getting to know your children and their interests is the best way to be able to identify any changes in behavior. Being able to spot changes early creates opportunity to talk about resiliency.
Remember, you know your children best. If something doesn't feel right or you notice a change, even if it's something small, you can always approach your children and talk about what you've noticed.
Which of these subjects would you like to talk about next?