What’s normal?

All kids have emotional ups and downs- periods of moodiness, trouble with friends, dips in academic performance. These are normal developmental challenges that may require your child to change perspectives or learn new skills. In most cases, if you offer support, sensitivity and patience, your child can figure it out.

It is important as parents to listen first and validate your child’s experience.

It’s natural to want to quickly jump in and try to problem-solve for them, but children just need to know they’re being heard and understood. When you use phrases like, “I see this is hard for you” or “I notice you’ve been down lately” you are validating their experience. When your child feels heard, they are more receptive to talk about how to get through it.

When and how to seek help.

Trust your gut. You know your child best.

Sometimes what seems like a normal childhood difficulty can turn into something more serious. If something just doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts. Talk to your child’s teacher, close friends, relatives or other caregivers to see if they’ve noticed changes in your child’s behaviour. It’s better to go and get things checked out if you’re not sure.

Share this information with your pediatrician.

Pediatricians are often very good at helping parents differentiate what is and isn’t normal, and can offer reassurance. Describe the behaviours that concern you. They will let you know when working with a therapist is a necessary or a helpful course of action.

It’s going to be okay.

Parents sometimes assume that mental health treatment will mean medication or hospitalization.

Every child is different and their treatment will need to address their unique symptoms - that may or may not include medication or in specific instances hospitalization. However, the most common treatment for children who have mental health conditions is behaviour therapy. With young children, this may include play time or games, as well as talk about what happens while playing. Children learn how to talk about their thoughts and feelings, how to respond to them, and how to learn new behaviours and coping skills.

You are not a failure as a parent if your child needs professional help.

We need to destigmatize the idea of mental health treatment. Parents will immediately address physical injuries or ailments (like a broken ankle, ear infection, etc.,) and get the appropriate medical care for their child. But with emotional injuries or mental ailments (like grief, anxiety, depression, etc.,) there still seems to be a level of fear and shame in getting therapeutic support. We’re here to tell you that taking care of your child’s mental health is just as important as having a healthy body. Addressing mental health challenges and developing healthy self-care habits from a young age can help kids manage future life stressors - and reach their full potential - while reducing the risk of developing health conditions like high-blood pressure and heart disease in their adult years.