10 Ways You and Your Child can Survive End-of-School Madness

The last few weeks at my house have been pretty hectic with all the end-of-school-year demands placed on my two teenagers before the academic year ends. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - extra after-school group study sessions for upcoming AP tests and final exams; longer homework sessions due to class projects; preparation for the big orchestra recital and homework craft projects that include glue, colored paper and glitter.

In order to help my kids complete all of their year-end responsibilities, I have made extra trips to and from each child's school, craft store, grocery store and cash machine. I have adjusted my work schedule to accommodate recitals, field trip drop-offs and pick-ups, special minimum days due to school testing and class parties. It's not just the kids that are busy during this time of year - it can be pretty exhausting for parents too.

As a child psychologist, I have seen too many families get so overwhelmed during this stressful time of year that they succumb to handling this stress by doing things that they regret later, like yelling at each other or hurting each others' feelings. Do not let that happen to your family!

Here are some tips to help your family handle end-of-year school stress:

1. Accept that your household will be a little chaotic for the next few weeks, but know that this chaos is only temporary.

2. Stress management is key. If your child starts to get overwhelmed with stress due to completing projects or preparing for exams, help your child relate how all of her hard work now translates to the future that she wants later.

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To finish reading the full list, visit The Huffington Post: Parents website: http://huff.to/1Qm7vhh.

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