Let’s face it: we all suffer from anxiety once in awhile. Life is difficult and goes so fast, and many people these days are seeking more holistic, natural approaches to treating their anxiety—especially when dealing with children.

My daughter, Jaimie, was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) when she was only two-and-a-half. Jaimie still wasn’t talking at that age and, what we didn’t realize at the time, was that in her own way she was trying to tell us, “Excuse me, parents. But I’m feeling tremendous anxiety from that smell/sound/the clothes you put on me/etc. Help me!”

After her diagnosis, a wonderful occupational therapist and a psychologist to tried everything under the sun to teach her more positive coping techniques as well as teach us how to help her at home. Although some methods worked, the approaches were very “textbook” and ended up causing Jaimie even more distress. This resulted in a triage meeting where the head psychiatrist of Jaimie’s case “strongly suggested” that we consider putting her on anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications (SSRIs).

“Jaimie is only three years old,” my partner Steve said. “Surely there are more natural, holistic ways to treat a toddler than giving her mind-altering drugs.”

That meeting prompted us to do a lot of research, as well as go through a lot of trial and error, until we found what worked best for Jaimie. Here are a few things that have helped us:

Ease Stress By Working In Their Comfort Zone

One thing that drove Steve and I nuts was that all of these professionals who worked with Jaimie weren’t using her own strengths or comforts as a way of helping her. They chose activities that, supposedly, “always worked in cases of Jaimie’s severity level.” Well, she didn’t like water therapy or people manipulating her tiny limbs to do relaxation exercises or being forced to do highly tactile crafts. In fact, they only made things worse. Jaimie loved scribbling in notebooks, looking at picture books and laying still with her favorite beanie Tigger. So, those are what we used when trying to help ease her anxiety.

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Admit it, parents. With the onset of winter comes more time indoors, and with more time indoors comes the dreaded, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do!”

One day it might be too cold to send the kids outside to play; the next day it’s warmer but not snowy enough to bundle them up for a massive snowball fight. Why not have a few ideas ready for the days the walls are closing in and you want to get out of the house? A parent with a plan is someone the rest of us admire. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Visit The Local Library

Libraries are a wonderful place to spend time with your kids. By allowing them to wander the isles of books looking for topics that interest them, you are stirring their imagination. Consider sitting at the library to read quietly for a while. When it’s time to leave, encourage your children to check out a few books, CDs, or videos. Not only does it give them something different to do once at home and teach them responsibility, it also serves as an excuse to return to the library soon.

Try The Recreation Center

Familiarize yourself with your local recreation or community center. These often have after-school programs in place; movie nights, art classes, and some even offer activities on days school is canceled due to inclement weather.

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My four-year-old, Harry, came running out of school, excited to tell me that he’d made a ‘diva’. My first thought, of course, was that he’d fashioned some likeness of Mariah Carey or maybe Diana Ross. I couldn’t think why, but I was willing to go with it. But then, from out of his book bag, he pulled the ‘diva’.

Made of clay, it looked rather like a diseased liver with a candle stuck in the middle. I tried not to recoil. I praised his amazing painting skills and then tucked the diva back in his bag. I wasn’t thinking, “Wow, my child is so talented”, I was thinking “Where the hell am I going to put that monstrosity?!”

Look At All This…Art

The first time your child brings a piece of art back from school, you exclaim with delight, you show everyone, you stick it to the fridge or even frame it and hang it on the wall. All this despite the fact that it’s probably just a collection of paint smudges on rough, khaki-colored paper.

As the child proceeds through preschool and then “big” school, they bring home more and more. Some of it is quite good (although the better it is, the more you suspect they didn’t actually do it themselves). Some of it is dreadful. My son once brought home what looked like a random pile of crap all glued together and poorly painted over. Turned out it was a “rubbish sculpture.” It really was. In more ways than one.

But still you feel like you need to keep it all, don’t you?

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I can’t understand how someone could have the audacity to swipe an innocent child’s personal information and open fraudulent credit accounts in their name, but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. I know of many situations where parents have opened accounts in their children’s name; they didn’t pay the bill, and their child spends the first few years of their adult life undoing their parent’s mistake.

Children and Teens are Easy Targets

Identity theft among children is more common than most people realize. In the past year I’ve stumbled upon many cases. There was the infant who owed a $600,000 mortgage loan; and a 14-year-old with more than $10,000 in credit card debt. Children are easy targets for brazen thieves. According to the Federal Trade Commission, approximately 400,000 children under the age of 18 have their identities stolen each year. Unlike adults, children have a clean slate; it’s much easier for thieves to open accounts, and in some cases, thieves don’t have to work hard to acquire a child’s personal information. Some children and teens willingly offer this information. Therefore, it’s important for parents to closely monitor their children’s activity and take steps to protect their identity.

Keeping Personal Information Secret

Thieves don’t need a lot of information to open a fraudulent account. In most cases, the only information they need is a birth date, full name, and Social Security number. Children should understand the importance of keeping this information private. It shouldn’t be revealed to anyone, including friends, relatives, teacher or other trusted adults.

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If you work at home with small children, chances are that you know the value of time. In my world, I know that there’s never quite enough of it. Deadlines loom while snacks, diapers, and phone calls from my editor demand my attention - often at the same time.

A Day in the Life of a Stay-at-Home Parent

I work more than full time from home, with a 2 year old and an infant in tow. My husband works full time outside the home. Oh, and did I mention that we started homeschooling this year on the preschool level? (I know, I know, glutton for punishment and all that…)

At any given minute, my home, work, and personal life are in varying states of chaos. On a good day, we all have clean laundry, a balanced meal, and I get some work done. Bad days are more likely to find me rocking inside the closet humming the Dora the Explorer theme song, while a toddler with marker tattoos runs rampant just outside the door.

In reality, we manage pretty well. I tend to try really hard to get up before the girls do. If I manage it, the day goes much more smoothly. In fact, I really need to make this a priority. (mental note: do not to hit snooze button in the morning!). Once I’m up, I check email, start a load of laundry, pick up the house, and begin my day. Getting organized first thing in the morning really helps.

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