parenting - Parenting Healthy

Signs Of PTSD In Children After A Car Accident — Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

Studies show that up to 43% of children and teens go through at least one trauma, but not all develop PTSD. Between 3% and 15% of girls and 1% and 6% of boys will develop PTSD. Car accidents can be a very traumatic event, especially for a child who may never have considered it a possibility. The sounds of a car crashing, flashing blue lights, being surrounded by lots of people, and witnessing loved ones sustain injuries can be very overwhelming for a child. Recognizing the signs of PTSD in children is essential for getting them treatment.

What is PTSD?

PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder and is a mental health condition that develops after someone has been exposed to trauma, such as a car accident. Symptoms can develop immediately after the trauma, months later, and, in some cases, years after the event. Symptoms vary significantly, particularly in children, and can depend on their age, maturity, and the extent of their trauma. PTSD can drastically impact a child’s life, and the longer it’s left untreated, the bigger the effect it will have. This can be in the form of developing unhealthy coping mechanisms, developing other mental illnesses (such as depression), and behaving in ways that are considered anti-social or rebellious.

Signs of PTSD in children

Symptoms of PTSD in children differ from those seen in adults to a certain extent, as they express themselves in different ways and are less able to understand and rationalize their situation. Symptoms of PTSD in very young children following a car accident include bedwetting, a fear of the dark, and separation anxiety. Elementary-aged children may have outbursts of anger, nightmares, headaches, difficulty sleeping, and changes in their school and social life. Pre-teens and teens can also have difficulty sleeping and a poor school performance, along with anxiety, depression, alcohol use, and other self-defeating or harmful behaviors. Some obvious symptoms for all ages can be a fear of getting back into a car, avoiding the scene of the accident, and a fear of learning to drive as they get older.

Getting help

As a parent, if you notice the symptoms of PTSD in your child or teen after a car crash, it’s important to talk to them and get them professional help. Remember that PTSD can develop months or years later, so it’s important to consider whether there’s a link between a teen’s low mood or poor school performance and a car accident that happened to them as a child. The good news is that PTSD is treatable. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talking therapy that allows people to freely discuss their experience and be taught healthy ways to cope with it. Play therapy can also be good for children, as it helps them to express themselves without having to directly talk to a therapist, which can be difficult when children don’t always know what’s wrong. Medication is also an option, but it treats the symptoms of PTSD, rather than the PTSD itself, so it’s best used as a last resort.

The cost of treatment

Unfortunately, the cost of medical care and therapy for treating PTSD following a car accident can be expensive and the last thing any parent wants to worry about when trying to help their child. Children may be eligible for monetary compensation for both PTSD and any physical injuries they sustain from the car accident. FVF Law Firm advise seeking out free, no-pressure consultations so that you can get compensation for your child, which can be essential for covering the costs involved in treatment. Even if months or years have passed since the accident before PTSD has been diagnosed, it’s still worth pursuing it to see what can be done.

PTSD is something that every parent should be aware of if their child has been in a car accident. It’s important to have open communication so that they can come to you if something is wrong, but many children will depend on their parents to guide them in the right direction for help.

Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Sadly, Sex Trafficking is an American Epidemic – How to Talk to Your Teens

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 Erin Sluka

I hate to even say those 2 words – Sex Trafficking or Child Abuse. 2 of the worst topics we have to discuss as a family, but how do we have that conversation? What age should we start making our children aware of this horrible epidemic?

I have found these 5 tips for parents about opening the dialogue with young children and pre-teens about child abuse and sex traffic recruitment prevention. We must talk about it because communication is the most powerful safety tool we have as parents!

The tips are excerpted from Selah Freedom’s Prevention Program that equips parents, youth and those who work with them, with the tools they need to avoid being manipulated by a trafficker and successfully prevents girls from being commercially sold.

Tip #1: Conversation Starters

For younger children, talk about safe vs. unsafe touch. Encourage your child to use their voice. Have your child identify their trust triangle (3 safe adults they can talk to). Explain the difference between secrets vs. surprises

Talk about safe screens. Create a safety plan on what they can do if they don’t feel safe. If you suspect child abuse or trafficking, notify authorities immediately and keep our child safe by letting police handle it

Ask your pre-teen, “what qualities do you want in a relationship?” “How would you know you are unsafe online or in a relationship?” “How would you respond to an unsafe conversation or person that made you feel uncomfortable?”

Tip #2: Communication

Ask your child what they know about this topic and discuss the facts and myths. Identify safety measures that your family can put in place and role-play different scenarios. Don’t be afraid to add a bit of humor and assure your child that it is ok to have this conversation.

Listen to your child speak without interrupting, judging or criticizing.

Tip #3: Education

Check out “SelahFreedom.com/Prevention” with your child for Safety Tips; Videos/Documentaries/Helpful Links. Give youth access to resources and safe contacts. Stay in the loop and check out new apps as youth are using them. Remember to use parental controls on your children’s cell phones to prevent internet solicitation & pornography.

Tip #4: Spotting The Signs

Sexual knowledge and experience beyond their years. Hyper-awareness of genital area, touching, discussing, etc. with themselves or other children/teens. History of emotional, physical and sexual abuse in families
Fear/hesitance of adult (s) or being alone with a particular person

Tip #5: Keep Up the Dialogue

It’s not “one and done” …. keep the conversation going with your kids each year as they are growing up and maturing.

For more resources that will help parents teach their children and teens about the signs of child abuse and sex trafficking recruitment and prevention, visit:

SEX, LIES & MEDIA: Through our cutting-edge, multi-media Sex, Lies & Media presentation, we will educate parents and students on the online recruitment tactics of predators and equip them with practical ways to discuss this issue, protect themselves online, and be a part of the solution. This presentation can take 1-2 hours and may be presented specifically to teens or to parents/adults working with teens.

College Bound, Healthy Living, Parenting

Finally, The College Student First Aid Kit with Mom-Approved Items

August 12, 2019August 9, 2019 Erin Sluka

With one son back home after 4 years at College and continuing online, we have an 11 year old on his heels. I learned a lot as a College parent. I bought many things that turned out unnecessary and then there were the things I never thought of that became an instant need.

We spend about 18 years cooking for them, caring for them, cleaning scrapes, spooning medicine and now who will have eyes on them? Who will make sure they can take care of themselves? No one will! This is it and all you can do is send them off with the right tools and let them be little adults now. I bought a shallow tote on our son’s first year. It was low enough to slip under his dorm bed. In it were band-aids, medicine, Kleenex and all he’d need with a label that read -‘when you get sick’. It was the best I could leave him with.

Had I known about The College Student First Aid Kit that would have been so much better! Even a shallow tote took up too much room in that small space. The College Student First Aid Kit has everything but the kitchen sink (and the good brands too) in a small box. It was created by Beth Palmer Stewart, a Nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience working with children, adolescents and young adults.

She also became a college Mom who quickly realized the struggle of finding first aid kits to leave with her student that wasn’t full of generic brands and wasn’t missing crucial items. She went to great lengths to research the best possible kits bundled into convenient sizes for dorm spaces and every student needs one as they head off to their new life.

I remember our son saying things like “..there is a student store if I need anything” or “…a Walmart is right down the street”. What they don’t realize is that when sickness hits you, that is one long drive to the store when you don’t feel like leaving your bed. Also, the student store was so far across campus and they lived at the bottom of campus hill and in the snow that town got, winter ailments were horrible if you needed to walk or find a parking space near that store. They need to have these essentials in the room and ready to go.

There are 3 sizes of kits to choose from. The most thorough is the Premium Plus Kit. With over 50 different medications, ointments, creams, drops, tools, and wound care items they will be taken care of just fine, Mom and Dad! Don’t worry. Before you know it 4 years have passed and you’ll be a pro at this. Visit College First Aid Kit to keep them prepared.

Parenting

Things That Should Never Be Done With A Newborn Baby

June 22, 2019July 20, 2020 Erin Sluka

There are so many challenges that appear when you become a parent. This is a time when you are really happy, when all you want to do is celebrate the birth of a new baby and do things right. Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done.

There are countless mistakes parents make when raising a newborn baby. However, the following are not always known and should be.

Allowing Anyone To Kiss The Baby

As a parent, it is highly fulfilling to see people that are doting around the newborn. Babies are lovable and cute so people should really enjoy them, right? Wrong.

People can appear to be completely healthy but it is possible they carry around some diseases, like Herpes Simplex Virus. This is completely invisible and there are now outward signs. The baby can end up infected, which is definitely not what you want to see happen.

Having The Baby Sleep On The Tummy

It is important to be careful with the sleeping habits of the baby. Most mothers these days know that babies should not sleep on their tummies because it can be fatal. Those that sleep on the stomach are at a high risk of ending up dead because of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). That is because they end up rebreathing carbon dioxide, which cuts off oxygen supply.

Overdressing The Baby

Many parents think it is the right choice to put more clothes on the baby. This is especially the case when the weather is cold. It is important to keep the child warm and safe but over-bundling is a very bad idea. The baby should be dressed just like you dress yourself.

The problem with overdressing is that the body of the baby ends up overheating. He/she ends up with higher temperatures than what would be uncomfortable. It is even possible it can lead to SIDS since there is lower space available for movement. This is fatal or just harmful for the baby.

Forget A Doctor’s Appointment

You should never miss a doctor’s appointment, even if it seems as being a really simple thing. The problem when you miss the appointment is that you can miss out on baby development stages or physical exam monitoring. Also, after a pediatrician appointment is missed, you can easily end up missing another one. In order for a follow up to happen, the initial checkup has to be done. This is especially the case when referring to immunizations.

Use Crib Bumpers

There are crib bedding sets and cribs that have bumpers. These are cushiony, firm linings that are there to keep the child safe. At first glance, this is a great safety precaution but bumpers can easily hurt the child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies can actually end up trapped in the bumpers. Even fresh air flow can be cut off for the baby crib.

Ignoring The Child When Crying

If you allow the baby to keep crying there is a risk that brain development problems will appear. If the child keeps crying without attention or pause, stress levels are heightened. Stress rise leads to various different problems. Also, as the baby grows, he/she gets used to neglect and less attention, which is definitely not what you want the baby to feel.