Dad Chats Live: Talking about youth mental health.
With Tuesday being Youth Mental Health Day, we wanted to talk about how we support our children to have good mental health. We talk a lot about supporting our own mental health and wellbeing, but do we have enough focus on our children’s mental wellbeing? We delved into the topic with some of our great community, and talked about our understanding of the topic. How we talk to our children about current situations and events that could impact their mental health – from the small things like friendships, to the big things like death or a new baby coming into the family.
This topic is so important because if we teach our children to look after their mental wellbeing from a young age, hopefully they will feel able to reach out for help if they ever need it as an adult. And normalising the conversations around youth mental health will give open communication if they start to struggle.
If you want to hear more about the topic of mental health and our children. We had another great chat earlier this year called Talking to Our Children About Mental Health. We also have some great blogs including this one: Children’s Wellbeing – Why It’s Important and How Dads Can Support It, written by Adrian Bethune is a fantastic read and full of great advice.
Topics Covered:
1. Do you feel you have a good understanding of youth mental health, and how to support children that may be struggling?
2. How do you talk to your children about current situations or life events that could impact their mental health? (This could be anything from COVID, to bullying or having a new baby in the family)
3. If there was once piece of advice you could give to 16 year old you, what would it be?