Supporting our child
Childhood and teenage years are
critical periods for our child to develop important skills to thrive and form
healthy relationships with others. As parents or caregivers, we want to support
their mental health, just as we would for their physical health. This can help
them develop resilience and grow to become well-rounded
adults.
Read on to find out how we
can better support our child’s mental health and well-being.
Tips on supporting our child
Children have different ways of communicating at different
stages. When checking in with
them, it can be helpful to
communicate in a manner that is appropriate for their age.
Here are some tips on
how to do so:
Be patient and attentive
Try taking the time to listen to their feelings, thoughts and
needs before offering solutions.
When we do that, it helps our child to
know that they are heard and understood, encouraging them to be more open in
sharing their problems in future.
Be mindful of how we communicate
The way we communicate can affect our child’s willingness to open up to us. When interacting with them, it can help to be mindful of our tonality and communicate in a way that is appropriate for their age.
At this stage, they are still developing their language skills.
- We can encourage them to share their feelings through storytelling. For instance, we can create a fictional character using soft toys and ask them to describe how the soft toy is feeling. Our child’s response can be a representation of their actual thoughts and feelings.
- We can also observe their body language and facial cues by seeing if they respond to a certain question by frowning, smiling, nodding or shaking their heads.
- Avoid open-ended questions that could make them feel flustered. For example, if we sense our child feeling down after school, rather than asking “How was your day today?”, we could ask them “Did you have a fun day today?”.
- Speak slowly and clearly so that our child can understand us.
- Avoid speaking loudly as our child might interpret a loud tone as anger directed towards them.
At this stage, they may become more self-conscious and worried about what others might think of them.
- Give them the space and time to express what is on their mind.
- Lend a listening ear whenever they are ready to share.
- Maintain a gentle and calm tone when speaking to them to show that we are receptive to what they are sharing.
- Equip ourselves with tips on how to better support our teen’s emotional health.
Different mental health challenges
Like all of us, our child may experience life changes that can affect their mental health and well-being. As a parent, we can learn about some of the mental health challenges they may face so that we can better support them.
Sleeping Well
Coping with Stress
Managing Emotions
Preventing Self-harm and Suicide
Understanding Depression
Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Managing Anxiety Disorder
Practising Cyber Wellness
Coping with Grief
Undergoing Transitions
Understanding Bipolar Disorder
Our children face a lot of pressures today—school, friends, social media—all of which can feel overwhelming. Sometimes, they might turn to unhealthy ways of coping, which could lead to addictive habits.
Addiction isn’t limited to substances like alcohol or vaping; it can also include behaviours like gambling, or excessive internet use or gaming.
Click here to learn more about addictions and how we can support our child/teen.
Having sufficient sleep allows our child to
learn at their best. We can help our child obtain better
sleep by providing a conducive environment and developing a
consistent sleep
routine.
Click here to read more about how we can
help them adopt good sleep
habits.
Key changes in our child’s life, such
as puberty and transitioning to a new school, may bring
about stress. We can help them learn how to better manage
stress before it overwhelms
them.
Click here to find out about some tips on
how to help our child cope with
stress.
When things get overwhelming, our child may experience intense emotions. We can help them learn to be more aware of their emotions and manage them better. Click here to learn more.
As our child enters adolescence, we may see
some changes in their behaviour. While some of these are
expected, others could be signs that they are struggling
emotionally. If their struggle becomes too much to handle,
some might consider extreme measures such as self-harm for
temporary relief or even suicide to end their
pain.
Let’s try to spot the warning signs of
self-harm and suicide, so that we can reach out to provide
them with the support they need. Take any mention of suicide
seriously and remember that help is always available. Click
here to learn more about self-harm and suicide, and how we
can help our child cope.
It is normal to feel sad occasionally but if
we notice that our child feels down over an extended period,
this could be a sign that they are suffering from
depression.
To better support them, we can learn more
about what they are going through and when to seek help.
Click here to find out more about
depression.
OCD is one of the top three most common mental health disorders and it can cause distress and anxiety for our child. We can learn more about OCD to understand what they are going through and when to seek help. Click here to find out more.
It is normal to feel anxious at times but excessive anxiety for our child could be a sign of anxiety disorder. We can learn more about anxiety disorder and when to seek help to better support them in managing it. Click here to learn more.
The online world can be both beneficial and harmful for our child. As parents, we play an important role in helping to create a safe space as they navigate the online world. Click here to learn more about cyber wellness.
There may be times when our child experiences
losing someone or something precious to them such as a loved
one, relationship, or even a pet. While they may express
their grief from this loss differently from us, they may
similarly experience sadness, anger, anxiety, or even
fear.
To better support our child, we can learn more
about the effects of grief and how we can support them
through it. Click here to find out more about coping
with grief.
As our child grows older and starts becoming independent, they will inevitably face changes. This could include entering a new school, adjusting to physical changes during puberty, or enlisting into National Service (NS). These transitions can be exciting for some; for others, they might become a source of stress, worry or frustration.
Click here to learn how we can support
them in coping with transitions that may occur in their lives.
It is normal for our child to experience mood swings as they develop and grow. However, persistent and severe changes in mood in our child may be a sign of bipolar disorder. To better support them in managing it, we can learn more about bipolar disorder and when to seek help. Click here to learn more.
Self-care matters
Taking care of our child while juggling our own life demands
can take a toll on our physical and mental well-being. Ultimately, the
lack of self-care will make it more challenging for us to care for our child.
Practising and prioritising
self-care will allow us to recharge and put us in a better state to
provide our child with the support they need. Take a look at some tips
on managing stress
and emotions to keep ourselves healthy.
