High School Stress: How to Relieve School Stress

Now that school is in full swing, the daily stress of high school is beginning to show its ugly face in our home. From math assignments to long-term projects, the stress can get as thick as a San Francisco fog, which is how my kids' brains seem at times.

So what's a parent to do? As concerned parents we view documentaries such as "Race to Nowhere" and "Waiting for Superman" to understand our school system and what our children are going through. These documentaries explore the quest for excellence in education, how to nurture a thoughtful school system, and how to temper the extreme pressure our kids feel at the cost of a well-rounded education. And while these explore what we can do at a local, state and federal level, my goal is to do something at the home level.

I've taken the approach of monitoring my children on a case-by-case basis to understand what level of stress they are feeling and how I can best deal and relieve their school stress. My attempt at being a tiger motherdidn't go well; I have realized through my 20 years as a parent that it's essential to find out what motivates each child and what natural talents may be waiting to be discovered. It's my job as their parent to guide, advise, emphasize and empathize. After a certain point, it's up to them to be self-motivated (click here to continue on Yahoo! Shine)