Climate change is not only causing a substantial impact to the planet’s health; there is also believed to be a significant impact to our mental health. History has shown us that natural disasters have harmful effects on health and mental health. Rising temperatures, heat waves, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, fires, loss of forests and glaciers, have been shown to directly and indirectly impact physical and mental health.
When parents think about signs of depression, they might first look to symptoms that friends or family have had. We typically think of someone who is depressed as being sad or down all the time.
There are some less common signs that might serve as clues that a child is depressed and these include: irritability, academic decline, changes in weight, and self-harm behaviors.
This year, the transition into summer break is going to look very different. Children and teens are missing the wind down of the academic year that is marked by notable school events such as field day, end of year parties, prom, and moving up ceremonies or graduations. In the past, these events signaled the ending of one chapter and the beginning of summer break. In my own experience with my first grader, the end of the school year just this week lacked any pomp and circumstance at all. The last day of distance learning was similar in format to that of the previous three months; from a zoom call in the morning to google classroom assignments in the afternoon. To make matters more complicated for parents, camp and summer vacation plans may have been canceled, rendering the weeks ahead with fewer opportunities for external structure and pleasant distraction. Without the natural transitions that the end of the academic year provide, parents might find themselves having a difficult time helping their child switch modes from school to summer. Here are some tips to help keep your child on track so that Summer 2020 can be as rewarding as possible for everyone in the family.
Arguments and disagreements among siblings are a normal experience that occasionally happen in all homes. But what if the fighting becomes an every day occurrence? Children experience stress and frustration within sibling relationships and often do not have the necessary skills to deal with the situation. Here are a few things you can do as a parent to help them.
Help your kids identify the situations that they find the most frustrating. Start by observing and then pointing out patterns in their behaviors and responses. Teach them that walking away from a situation where the other sibling is starting to get upset can often interrupt the argument before it erupts. You can show your children how to identify the signs of anger in each other. For example, “How does your sister look when she gets angry at you? What are the warning signs?” Your child can then use these signals to walk away, take a break, or change the subject.