`It's now or never" - we hear these words all too often.
We all get stressed. We complain of not having enough time in the day. We are constantly under pressure with commitments to family, work and social obligations.
Stress is the "in" complaint with doctors for the millennium. It covers such thing as headaches, stomach upset, vertigo, depression, palpitations and psoriasis, to name but a few. These illnesses are more than likely stress-related and would probably improve if we were to take more time out for relaxation and rest.
Do we ever consider our children in all of this? They too get stressed, and with both parents out working in a lot of cases it is becoming even more prevalent.
Children show stress in different ways to adults. They get irritable, go off their food, get in trouble at school or start fighting with their friends. The reason for this is they are not aware of the problem and don't know what is wrong with them.
I get home from work in the evening and rush to get the dinner while shouting at the children to tidy up or wash their hands before eating. How often do I just sit down with them and ask "How did your day go?" or "How was school?"
Every now and then I get a reminder and I try to change and be more attentive to my children and their needs; but slowly the rushing-around creeps in again until I am not even conscious of the pressure I am exerting on them. My seven-year-old son and I had a row a few weeks ago. I kept at him to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. He was so slow I shouted at him. He then started crying and went upstairs.
When I asked him why he had been so bold, he said to me: "Mam, you never have time to play with me. You're always too busy."
It was like a slap in the face. I just hadn't realised. So there and then I decided to set an hour aside each evening to play or talk to him.
Since I started this we're all enjoying the time together and getting on better. I am even less stressed myself - and as my son says to me: "I love our special time together."
So do I.
