Empower and Encourage Interdependence in Children and Teens
October 9, 2024
Learn
October 23, 2024
The most recent blogs have been about how adults can boost the resilience of children. One of the most effective ways to support kids is to support the parents (and by parents I mean all those adults who have primary responsibility for raising kids).
This was highlighted in the August 2024 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents. The advisory pulls together research from multiple sources about the urgent need to value and support parents, caregivers, and families. It highlights the many kinds of stressors that families of children cope with in our country. Parenting is a joy as well as a source of much worry. Check out the report for more detailed information.
The Surgeon General is asking that we all do what we can to support parents. Stressors include finances, concerns about kids’ safety, loneliness, and the hyperintense culture of comparison that exists in our culture. One point made is that children’s mental well-being is strongly impacted by the well-being of their parents. While this is true, and I care a lot about kids, I also want to say that if you are a parent, you have the right to care about your own well-being for your own sake. In our Learn.Model.Teach. community what does this report mean for us?
If You Are a Parent
If you are feeling super stressed as a parent, you are in the majority. This is a difficult time to be a parent. One of the kindest things you can do for yourself is to find your own village where you can be open about your struggles. This is likely to be a mix of friends, family, and professionals. Here at Learn.Model.Teach. we have resources you are welcome to access, many of which are free. They are listed below. You deserve to take care of yourself. You are welcome to reach out to share your concerns.
If You Are a Friend of a Parent
Be aware that this is not an easy world to parent in. The intense comparison culture we live in can cause parents to be very guarded about sharing real troubles. Offering a non-judgmental listening ear can be a welcome relief. Many problems don’t have simple solutions, talking them out as one step toward finding one’s way. You can check in with your friend and brainstorm other ways to be supportive of their parenting journey. Be a safe person for the kids to hang out with, offer to lend a hand in tangible ways, plan outings that meet the needs of kids and adults, and share resources that you know of in the area. Simply valuing the work of parenting is a gift.
If You Are a Business or Community Leader
Use your influence in your organization to support parents. Doing so builds a stronger community for all of us. The Surgeon General’s Advisory has a list of recommendations for community and business leaders. There are likely to be big and little things you can do to support the work of parenting in your workplace or community. Parents need support to meet both their own and their children’s needs.
While I am 100% in favor of supporting kids’ resilience, the only way to make this work in the long run is to support their parents or caregivers. The Surgeon General has made it clear that parents need support from friends, extended family, professionals, and our larger community. If you are a parent, recognize that you are not alone and reach out. If you are a friend, family member, or any other kind of adult in our community consider what you can do to support the parenting journey of families near you. We all benefit from healthy, resilient children and grown-ups.
Free resources:
- Resources at LearnModelTeach.com: Our blogs and tools are free. You can access all of them at the website and use the search function to find a topic you want to read. The booklet, “Shrink Anxiety to Grow Resilience” is also free.
- Most months we have a Zoom Q and A with Laura where you can join a conversation with others who are also seeking to boost their resilience.
- Laura is open to a 20-minute coaching session for anyone on any topic related to Resilience. You can access her schedule here.
- For more in-depth consultation Laura is available for coaching and has online classes. See the website for more information.
- Our goal is to be a resource for resilience for your journey. If there is a topic you would like to see addressed, or a specific question we can answer you can email us at resilience@learnmodelteach.com
Being a parent is a long journey filled with joy and challenges. When we say “it takes a village to raise a child” we imagine adults helping kids. We need to also imagine adults helping parents. Resilience is best built in community.
Peace,
Laura
