When it comes down to it, raising a little human is scary. You want the absolute best for them, and then you have to watch life happen and accept the things that are outside of your control. Luckily, there's a lot you can do to encourage the growth of your child's mental health, which will help them handle life's ups and downs a little smoother and come out a little stronger. Angela Pruess, a licensed child therapist and mom of three children, wrote 100 Everyday Ways to Strengthen Your Child’s Mental Health on Parents with Confidence to help you out.
It’s easy to feel helpless when it comes to our child’s mental health and well-being when we look around and feel the weight of scary statistics and trends bearing down on us. What you may be forgetting amidst the fear-based headlines is that parents have a lot of power when it comes to their child’s mental health. The environment you provide for your child each day holds many opportunities for nourishing good mental health both now and into adulthood.
100 Ways to Nurture Your Child’s Mental Health Each Day
- Love them unconditionally
- Talk about feelings
- Listen first, talk second
- Allow plenty of time for play
- Discipline with respect not shame
- Ask about your child’s day
- Let them do things on their own
- Teach good sleep habits
- Model positive self-care
- Let them be independent when possible
- Tell your child what you love about them
- Be honest with them at an age-appropriate level
- Apologize to them when you mess up
- Let them appropriately express their emotions
- Replace yelling and nagging with teaching
READ MORE: 100 Everyday Ways to Strengthen Your Child’s Mental Health
