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Connect with Your Children this Holiday Season

A mom and dad with a son and daughter cooking and sampling food in a kitchen

VA has free, confidential online courses to help Veteran parents connect with their children. Helpful anytime, but especially during the holidays which can bring a lot of stress.

By Dr. Carolyn Greene, VA Mental Health Services
Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The holidays are a festive time. They can bring joy and quality time with your family. But as we all know, holidays can also bring a lot of stress. Plus, winter weather may force you to be stuck indoors, which can lead to cabin fever and even more stress.

VA developed Parenting for Service Members & Veterans (Parenting) to help parents connect with their children and strengthen their families. Parenting teaches skills and tools to help you communicate with your children and manage your own parenting stress. While the Parenting course is useful and applicable all year, the holidays are the perfect time to focus on your family.

Parenting is one of three courses in the VA Online Self-Help Resource Center. All courses are completely confidential, free and available online 24/7. No log in and no registration required. You can take the course at the pace and place of your choosing. The Resource Center also features Anger & Irritability Management Skills (AIMS) and Moving Forward, a course that teaches problem-solving skills to help you overcome obstacles and meet your goals.

Parenting is different from other self-help courses because it focuses on the parents’ needs, not just on those of the children. Parenting has several modules and you can choose the ones that interest you. Each module features practical advice, interactive quizzes, videos and games including:

  • Videos of real military families discussing their challenges
  • Quizzes to better understand your parenting style
  • Tools to help you improve your work-life balance
  • Information on the specific behaviors and emotions children display at different ages
  • How to incorporate much-needed “me-time” into your day

Enjoy the holidays. To help make the most of your time with your family this time of year, visit www.veterantraining.va.gov and take a look at our Parenting course.

Happy Holidays!

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