Worry list getting longer by the day? Think parent power

We parents have a lot on our worry lists these days. We worry about what kind of world we're passing along to our kids and whether we're giving them any of the skills they'll need to take on the future.

We worry about what they experience at school from the moment they head off to kindergarten until the moment they stroll across the stage in the high school gymnasium 14 years later.

When parents aren't worrying about how their kids are faring academically (will Johnny make the grade?), they're worried about the lessons in life that are learned on the playground (is Johnny learning how to make friends?) and, all too often, at the hands of bullies (the bullies who punch you out as well as the bullies who mess with your head).

If you're a parent of a child with special needs, you may worry whether you have the energy, stamina, the patience required to advocate effectively for your child. Inclusion has different meanings to different people in different communities, school boards, schools and classrooms — and the solution that worked brilliantly for your child one year may not be an option this year.

So how do you avoid becoming paralyzed by all the worry? You don't want to end up feeling like the stressed out little kid who came home panicked on the first day of kindergarten, convinced he was already behind the other kids — that he should have started school already knowing how to read.

The solution is simple, but not always obvious: Join forces with other parents.

Speaking openly and frankly about what you're dealing with can help you to combat the isolation that tends to occur as kids grow older. (You don't have the same opportunity to swap parenting tips when you're dropping a child off at piano lessons as you did back in your child's playdate days.) Not only will you have the opportunity to compare notes on specific parenting and school concerns; you'll be able to tap into one of the most powerful forces out there: the power of parents joining forces to support one another and work for change and the neighbourhood, school and community level.

Now over to you. What advice would you offer to other parents when it comes to tapping into support from other parents as their kids get older? Do you think there's still a lot of pressure to be a "perfect parent" or to keep up the charade that everything's perfect in your family?