2. 3 Things Every Recovering
Parent Can Do To Raise Happy &
Resilient Children and Teens
3. #1 Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First!
What Does This Look Like For You?
12-Step Meetings
Attend to your spouse and/ex-spouse (yes, this
matters for your child's well-being) or partner
Exercise
Time with Friends/Fellowship
Sleep - 8 hrs really does matter
Creative relaxation - painting, journaling, reading,
etc.
Ditch the guilt & perfectionism
4. So What Can This Look Like For You?
Let's Create a Schedule...
Break-out sessions of small
groups with self-care
worksheets
Be mindful not to overbook
yourself!
Return for discussion &
challenges
5. #2 Build A Village and Have Fun Doing It!
Family Meals...still the golden rule for happy children
Create social supports for your children
Share rewarding activities together
Invite another family over for a picnic
Play board games and invite kids from the neighborhood over
Have a fun movie night at home
Bake cookies
Go camping
Pick out a TV show and watch it together
Go roller skating together, get playful!
Go to a local fair or farmer's market
6. Making Sure Shared Fun…
Is Really Fun
When you and your child disagree, keep communication brief
- no lecturing!
If emotions run hot, cool down before doing anything else
Speak face to face, never by texting or phone calls...
Watch your body language: aggressive posturing speaks
volumes to a child!
If you need to ask your child for something, use a positive
and specific approach: what you want (not what you don't
want) and what, where and when.
7. How Do You Share Fun Times With Your
Children?
Large circle discussion regarding having fun with kids
and creating community in today's hectic and multi-
tasking world. Do you feel comfortable being playful
and acting silly? Is it confusing sometimes knowing
what normal fun is?
Following discussion and creative suggestion building,
each participant creates a list of 5 fun things that their
children would enjoy and 3 community building
methods for their family - and builds it into their original
Oxygen Mask Plan from
Workshop #1
8. #3 Problem Solving 101
Solve Problems with Your Kids -
Without “Losing It"?
We no longer have the
"dubious luxury" of acting
out our anger on our
children when they are
behaving like,
well...children. So what
to do?
9. Simple Problem Solving for
Real People with Real Kids
Let's face it, we all feel like "losing it"
sometimes...
But we chose to be parents, our kids
didn't choose to be kids....so we don't get
to lose our temper when we feel like it!
So how do we solve problems effectively
when they come up without looking like
we're the one throwing a temper
tantrum?!
Let's look at some effective strategies -
with practice they can be second nature:
10. Problem Solving in the Real World for Real Parents
Stop, Define, Create Options, Consider
Consequences, Evaluate
STOP: We tend to believe that when there is a
problem we need to DO something right away. In fact,
the best thing we can do is PAUSE and STAY CALM.
The bigger the problem, the more we need to pause.
DEFINE: What is the real problem? Not our feelings
about the situation, but the real issue at hand. Define it
clearly, possibly even STOP long enough to write it
down, before going any further.
11. OPTIONS: Consider the possible courses of action you could take in
the situation.
CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES: Think through what the potential
consequences may be for each course of action you're considering. (I
know this is a lot of work, but undoing a poor course of action will take a
lot more effort!).
EVALUATE the outcome - celebrate successes and learn from
mistakes without judging yourself harshly. Was it a successful outcome
for your child? Did he or she get to learn something important from the
experience? Did you?
12. Final Thought
(#4 Disguised)
Finally - another thing everyone can do
with their children is to Catch Them
Doing Something Nice!
Did they ask you how your day was? Or
share a toy with their brother or sister?
Clean up their room?
Remember to praise them when you
Catch Them Doing Something Nice!
13. Call 800.215.4733
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
www.beaconhouse.org
The Beacon House is fully licensed by the State of California and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
The Beacon House is a private, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization
