A Plan Made in a Good Week

Where to start

• Make the plan in a good week, not on the bad day.
• Agree one emergency rule: if they cannot wake you or think you are in danger, emergency help first, then a named adult.
• Coram Family Lives suggests agreeing a plan with your children for the bad times, and we’d add only that it’s best made in a good week, calmly, perhaps over a weekend breakfast. Agree who they can call, who will do the school run if you can’t, and what you’ll say to each other on a hard day, so that nobody has to guess. And one simple rule for an emergency: if they cannot wake you, you are hurt, or they think you are in danger, they call for emergency help first and ring a named adult second.

The rest of the tip, with more to try and why it works, is in the library.

It goes with

• When You Are Not All Right. For parents whose own mental health is part of what’s going on at home.

The first chapter you open here is free to read in full.

Free on this subject

• Parent wellbeing. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.
• Family stress. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.