Raising kids is one of the world’s most challenging but fulfilling jobs. To help a child grow healthy, parents must support their children in every stage of their development. But life can be tough, and there is no surefire way to ensure that your child won’t face any issues growing up. And although some factors are out of your control, there are many things you can do to support your child’s mental health.
Here’s how parents can understand young minds.
- Know when Young People are Vulnerable
Studies show that as many as one in six children between 6 and 17 suffers from mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. But what’s worrying is that 75% of children experiencing mental health problems are not receiving the help they need. Remember that the emotional well-being of children is just as essential as their physical health. Good mental health allows them to develop resiliency, which helps them cope with whatever life throws at them, allowing them to grow into healthy adults.
Thus, one way to protect your children is to understand when they are vulnerable. Many factors could affect their mental health. Traumatic events are the main triggering points behind mental health problems, and children are especially vulnerable to these. Sudden changes in their environment, such as moving to a new place and the birth of a new sibling may also trigger. Some kids who move to a new home or school could feel excited about meeting new friends. However, many others feel anxious about the whole adjustment process.
Teenagers could suffer from emotional turmoil as their bodies and minds will start to develop. Teaching kids to accept who they are may help with their development. Some teens will find it challenging to transition towards adulthood and could turn to drugs, alcohol, and other substances that could further aggravate their mental health.
Certain factors can make many kids and young people more vulnerable to mental health problems than adults. These include suffering from a long-term physical illness, having a parent with mental health problems, the death of a loved one, parents having divorced, experiencing severe bullying and discrimination, and poverty or homelessness. But it’s important to know that experiencing these things does not necessarily mean a child will have mental health problems.
- Understanding What Self-Harm and Why Young People Do It
Self-harm happens when a person hurts oneself on purpose. It can affect a child in many ways, and it’s a difficult topic to discuss since it can be linked to emotions that kids may not know how to voice. In most cases, self-harm can occur in kids during their transition from childhood to adolescence. At this stage, kids will start to think more about their feelings, pay closer attention to how their friends behave and are more focused on trying to “fit in”.
Parents should be observant of their kids’ behaviour. As soon as they discover their child is self-harming, they must take the necessary steps to address it. It’s also important to understand why your child is self-harming. There are many reasons behind these. Sometimes, children harm themselves because it’s their way of getting their parent’s attention and making them aware they are suffering from emotional pain.
Another reason a child may engage in self-harm is that the people they spend most of their time with are also doing self-harm. It gives them a sense of belongingness since they are doing the things their friends are doing. For some kids, self-harming is their way to manage emotional pain. Studies show that some people who self-harm reported feeling better after doing it.
Some of the most common signs of self-harm are isolation, staying up late at night, frequent disappearance of sharp objects at home, wearing clothes to cover up plenty of skin, and sharing pictures of wounds and cuts on social media.
The moment you suspect your child is engaging in self-harm, try to have an open discussion. But be very sensitive with your questions and maintain a neutral tone all throughout. While you could exhibit strong emotions, expressing these to your child will only worsen the situation. So, try to refrain from reacting negatively and have an open mind.
- Knowing the Support Available
Parents should consider getting help when addressing their child’s mental health. Thankfully, many resources are available online that can guide parents on detecting the early signs of mental health and where to go for help. One of these is to take up a free online course about children’s mental health.
Kids must have strong relationships with their parents. No matter how busy you are, you should find ways to spend time with your kids, whether that’s during dinner or over the weekends. Being consistently present in your child’s life can play a crucial role in helping them to develop resiliency. If you spend a lot of time with your child, they know they can always turn to you if they need help.
Parents must also teach kids how to solve problems on their own. At the same time, you must make them feel you are there to love, support, and accept them, regardless of the circumstances. If your child has done something good, praise them for their actions and always recognise their efforts, no matter how small their achievements are.
It will also help if you show interest in their hobbies and activities. Ask questions about these things but try not to be too intrusive. Always listen and respect their feelings. Let your child know that it’s okay to feel sad or angry. Allow them to be expressive of what they feel. Establish open communication with your children, and if there are situations where they will not feel comfortable talking to you, help your child find someone they can talk to.
Lastly, create a safe and positive home environment for your kids. Be very mindful about discussing family issues when your kids are around, such as marital problems, finances, and illnesses. They might still be young, but these things can also worry them and drive them to depression.
