Child Mental Health: What You Can Do
A good and healthy childhood can permanently and positively affect children’s adulthood, and even the entirety of their life.
Mental health is often overlooked and given little importance in our society. But it is an important issue, and as parents, or teachers, we should do whatever we can to ensure children’s good mental health.
Mental health doesn’t necessarily mean you should take your child off to a psychiatrist at the slightest sign of emotional problem. To a large extent you can prevent mental health problem by your words and actions, as they say: “Actions speak louder than words,” and “Words are more hurtful than sticks and stones.” There are a number of different things you can do that may help your children have a good mental health and prevent them from having any kind of mental scars that may harm them for the rest of their lives. The following are some of the points that you may want to teach your children:
- Live for the moment rather than unduly and excessively worry about the future
Don’t get me wrong, everyone should think of the future, especially children, as they do have a lot of life left to live for. But putting up big stakes on minor things will not bring in a mature perspective, and may not affect them in the best way. Let them live in the moment and enjoy themselves, instead of making them unduly and excessively be worried about the future.
- Make mistakes and fail rather than play only to their strengths
There is no harm in trying something new. Urge your kids to explore what they are good at and what they are not good at. They don’t have to stick to just their strengths; they can just as easily be Jack of all trades. This way they won’t have major regrets, or miss out on things.
- Be compassionate rather than selfish
Kids shouldn’t be taught to just think about themselves, rather they should be taught to put themselves in other people’s shoes. That is, they should be able to show compassion to others, as well as to themselves. People also often forget to be kind to themselves, and this can lead to poor decision making skills and poor self-esteem.
In addition to the above points, there are a few other points you should consider:
- Celebrate diversity
Children are unique. They have their own traits and characteristic that define who they are. By generalizing your children, you are putting them inside a box, and not letting them be who they are, or letting them realize their full potential. Don’t try to shame your daughter if she likes cars, don’t shame your son if he likes playing with dolls, and don’t shame your child if he/she likes people of his/her own sex. Accept them and let them be who they want to be.
- Encourage reflection
Reflection is crucial, and should be taught and put in action by every child. Instead of just shaming them or guilt tripping them, encourage your children to reflect upon their mistakes, to know what they have done wrong. This way, they will have a true understanding of their mistakes, and will learn from them.
- More conversation, less surveillance
Don’t try to snoop through your children’s phone or social media accounts to find out what they have been up to and what they are currently doing as tempting as that might sound. Trust your children, and start conversations with them rather than waiting to find out about them through other sources. Make them feel comfortable with you, and build an environment such that they feel comfortable approaching you with whatever issues they may have.
|
