Updated: December 2021

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 several 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 Path to Better Sleep, 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!

This article was originally posted on Inside Veterans Health.

About the Author: Dr. Carolyn Greene is with the VA Mental Health Services Office

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One Comment

  1. Vincent F. Neuroth December 11, 2015 at 15:48

    I had a eye examination in Oct. 2014, the Dr. advised that I get a Goldman Field Test. This Dr. has left the VA
    in Philadelphia. They scheduled a Goldman field test appointment. Due to me not driving to Philadelphia and taking the
    county provided van, the appointment time was not between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. the van schedule. I told the VA rep.
    this and she hung up on me. On Nov. 25, 2015, I received a phone call from Philadelphia informing me they would
    schedule a appointment for the Goldman Test. Still waiting. My VSO is also working on this problem.

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