Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
Parents today have an uphill battle in fulfilling the job of raising children in this decade. It’s not an easy job, but it’s especially tough in this technology driven era. During this pandemic, many parents have discovered they need to protect their children’s mental well-being. These current hard times we’re dealing with has left a lot of us mentally drained. But with schools remaining closed and a lot of summer events being canceled, a child’s mental health must be protected. Here are a few useful ways parents can take action.
Encourage Them To Come To You For Help
Now more than ever, it is vital that parents be there for their children. A lot of times, all children want is for someone to listen to them or be a good shoulder to cry on. The best thing a parent can say is, “That sounds hard. I understand. How can I help?” This is called empathetic communication. You want your children to be able to come to you about anything. Practicing empathetic communication can go a long way in protecting their mental well-being.
Reduce Television News Watching
With the onslaught of news today covering this pandemic, parents must abstain from incessant watching with their children. The more you continue to watch coverage about this, the more it will start to drain your mood and leave you depressed. This sudden change of behavior will start to affect your children’s mental well-being. To to avoid this, try keeping your COVID-19 news watching to a minimum and encourage your child to do the same.
Give them some Coping Ideas
We all are trying to cope with COVID-19 the best we can. But children cope with it differently than adults. As parents, we must give them better ways to deal with their feelings. Check-in with your child throughout the day to allow them to verbalize their emotions.
Give them non-verbal tactics to help them deal with any stress, anger, or sadness. One good example of this is having your child squeeze a ball of Play-Doh in his hand while he inhales deeply. Why not practice doing this together? You can squeeze your ball and your child could have his Play-Doh while you both inhale together. When your child sees you doing this with him, he will feel less alone.
Encourage them to Learn new Hobbies
Another great way for parents to protect their children’s mental well-being is to encourage them to learn new things. Being out of school for a prolonged amount of time is a great opportunity to take up a new hobby. Learning a new hobby will help keep their brains sharp and bodies active.
They can start a hobby like writing or drawing which stimulates their minds. Active hobbies like exercising are great in reducing their stress levels. “Parents should focus on helping kids have some stability and consistency in their routine and their day-to-day activities,” says Lauren Pasqua, a Texas clinical child psychologist.
Make them Feel Loved
There’s nothing more than a child wants than to feel loved. So as their parent, no matter how old they get, you must tell them that you love them. This is very vital in protecting their mental well-being. Children are fragile people who desire feeling needed. So at every opportunity, be sure to let your child know that you love and care about them. Raising children in this new era is not easy. However, it is something that can be done. If you consider these five useful ways, you will be on the road to protecting your child’s mental well-being.
