Children today are overburdened with engagements. There`s the daily rut of performing in academics. And there`s the pressure of excelling in sports and other extracurricular activities. But too rigorous a schedule could impact your child negatively.

Let us understand why stress and anxiety are so much a part of children`s lives today. Most children start the day by rushing to school where they attend classes. Once school is over, it`s time for classes or tuitions at home.

Parents also cram children`s schedules tight, with activities such as sports, swimming, dramatics and music classes without considering whether the child has the aptitude for these or not. In between all this the child is expected to attend to the homework, work on assignments and study for tests and assignments. At the end of the day, the children hardly have the time to simply be themselves.

But this constant pressure to perform leads to stress. The result is confusion, fatigue and depression.

What can you do about it?

Before mounting pressure on your child to keep up to your expectations, pause. Consider what your child really likes and needs. Make an effort to reach out to your child and understand what he likes. This will help you to nurture his special talents without stifling his creativity.

Here are a few pointers to help you do that:

Talk to your child: The first important rule is to keep communication lines open between yourself and your child. Ask your child what he wants and listen carefully to what he has to say. Put yourself in his position to understand things from his perspective and do whatever is required to better the situation

Identify talent: Identify your child`s inherent talent and do your best to nurture it. Instead of compelling your child to take on a whole range of activities that he may not care for at all, find out specifically what it is that he himself wants to do. Take a lesson from this dad who narrates how he found out about his son`s talent at drawing.

`One night my son Rahul showed me a drawing he had done. Instantly I said, `It would be great to see you use colours now to create magic from it.` He replied, `But dad, I don`t like colours. I don`t like to paint. I like to draw.` He goes on, `Though I had read something on the same lines earlier, at that point I did not think there was much of a difference between the two acts of drawing and painting. So I didn`t pay much attention to it. But when confronted with a similar situation, I decided to talk to his art teacher. And sure enough he said that Rahul preferred to draw cartoons and sketch. But he didn`t quite like to use colors he didn`t like to paint, as he himself so firmly put it! That`s when I understood what Rahul`s natural aptitude is and encouraged him to pursue it.`

Give credit: Praise your child often and give him due credit for his efforts irrespective of the field or medium he chooses to express himself in.

Understand them: We often consider ourselves to be experts in most issues concerning our children, and so don`t think it important to consult them. In fact, we are often more willing to take advice from other parents, rather than listen to our children. But children may sometimes be in the best position to understand what they require. It is important that you listen to them and their side of the story.

Prepare them: In this competitive age, it is essential that you prepare your child for what lies ahead. Help your child anticipate stressful situations early on, and resolve them with fortitude.

Encourage positivity: Do not download your troubles onto your child. Instead always remain positive, and encourage and motivate your child to remain so too.

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