Children and Allergies: Coping With Parental Burnout

Parenting Children With Allergies

Tips for coping with the stress of your child’s chronic allergies.

Coping With Children’s Allergies: Stress Busters for Parents

Taking steps to make your child less miserable will certainly make you less miserable too. But it’s easy to forget your own needs in the process. Try these tips for improving your quality of life.

• Don’t turn down adult social activities because of the kid’s allergies. Make arrangements for a babysitter or come up with an alternative plan.
• Be flexible. You never know when you’ll have to move the picnic indoors or leave the park early. Staying open to alternatives and keeping your sense of humor will help you cope better.
• Don’t use your child’s allergy as an excuse. Don’t say, “We can’t go camping because Johnny has allergies” or “We can’t have a pet because of Suzie’s sinuses.“ That creates resentments between parents and children.
• Don’t skip the activities you enjoy. If there’s something you miss – such as visiting a public garden or hiking -- because you can’t bring along allergy-prone kids, schedule it for date night or an outing with friends.
• Schedule in “me time.” Everybody needs it. Decompress weekly with solo stress reducers like a manicure, massage, walk in the park, or coffee at a bookstore.

Creating a more relaxed family life when your child has allergies takes time and forethought at first, but eventually it becomes second nature. To avoid burn out and keep you and your child from being held hostage to allergies, adopt routines that easily become the norm for your family.