May is Children's Mental Health Awareness Month
Although the entire month of May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month, May 9th is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. The intended purpose of the day is to make a child’s mental health instrumental to that child’s self-awareness and development. The American Psychiatry Association (APA) promotes wearing green ribbons to bring the mental wellness of children, youth, and young adults to the forefront.
Parents, how often do you discuss your child’s mental health with your child? Do you know what happened to your child at the bus stop, at school, or on the way home from school? Is your child being bullied or are they bullying? It is common knowledge that many issues of traumatic events in childhood carry over into one’s adult life if not addressed at the time of the event. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Society (AAC&APS) says that parents should be concerned about their child(ren)’s state of mind and know how to speak to them in a way that the child understands better than anyone else.
Does your child know that is okay to say that he/she is not okay? Why not make May 9th the day to ask your child(ren) if he or she is or is not okay on National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day? Then be ready to delve deeper into their mental wellness. Who knows? You may make the difference of a lifetime—helping a person learn to seek a doctor’s help for what is only a different kind of sickness than a cold but just as treatable. You may use the tips that the AAC&APS provides to best understand your “child’s needs, concerns, knowledge, and experience with mental illness”.
Let’s wear a green ribbon on Thursday, May 9th to let our children, youth, and young adults know that their mental wellness is important to us and them. Then try to find a way to open the door for a robust discussion with your child about their mental wellness!
May 5th - 11th is Children's Mental Health Acceptance Week. Its theme is Lighting the Path to Social Justice for Children and Youth. Click here to Learn how to walk the interactive path toward social justice for families.
Sign your child/youth up for Operation Xcel Afterschool and/or Summer program(s) where we put the E in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) while we emphasis emotional wellness!
