Back-to-school season is a good time for a refresher on how to support your student this school year and beyond!
- Whether it be the pandemic, continued social unrest, gun violence in schools, or even the social stress of social media, the world is different than when you were growing up so avoid comparisons and suspend judgement when talking to your child.
- Be open to sharing your struggles and thoughts and your child will feel more comfortable coming to you with theirs. Your kid may see these moments of honesty and vulnerability on your part and think they can reciprocate when they have their own problems.
- Stay on top of your child’s social media habits. A lot of social media can promote unhealthy behavior, unhealthy standards, and even bullying. While all of that might sound scary and may mean you want to avoid them having accounts keep in mind it is a new form of social connection and adolescents do seek that out Know what they are consuming by having open dialogue.
- Help your child find healthy ways of belonging. Encourage clubs and activities where they can find their people! If your kid isn’t finding anyone they “click” with don’t judge or shame.
- Be kind to yourself. Your kids notice how adults in their life talk about themselves and if you aren’t kind to yourself they might think they can be hard on themselves too.
- Make your child’s mental health a priority. The same way you would check in on a child’s physical health make sure to stay on top of their mental health by being conscious of changes to their mood.
If you or your child needs someone to talk to
Chicago call LSSI Connect at 833.610.5774
Nationwide call NAMI Helpline at 800.950.6264
Nationwide call SAMSHA at 800.622.4357
Mental health emergency services dial 988
