only the need-to-knows for parenting kids through mental health and puberty

People aren’t perfect. This fact might be simple enough to understand, but it can be harder to apply to our own internal dialogue. Even if we accept that everyone makes mistakes, we may still find ourselves becoming our own worst critics when faced with our flaws — and our kids aren’t immune from the same struggles. Self-criticism actually doesn’t help us learn from our mistakes or overcome failure — it can just lead to feelings of worthlessness and even depression. So, how can we avoid this cycle and raise our kids to be resilient instead of self-critical?

The concept of “burnout” has undeniably been a hot topic lately, but new research shows that it isn’t just workplace pressures that can lead to overload. Typically, the word burnout describes an overwhelming state of exhaustion you might experience after prolonged, unending stress that you’re just not able to manage. Parental burnout describes almost the same reaction, but instead of being associated with work or your career like regular burnout, it’s caused by the stressors of being a parent.

Tomorrow is Children’s Grief Awareness Day, a day dedicated to spreading awareness about the support that children need after experiencing a loss. Kids are not immune to grief, and understanding how they react to a loss can help prepare parents and caregivers to support them throughout the process.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 1 in 5 kids has a diagnosable mental health issue. Acknowledging the real prevalence of mental health issues is important, and it gives us an opportunity to focus on starting open, honest conversations about mental health early on. By talking about it with your kids, you’re establishing yourself as someone they can feel comfortable coming to if they’re ever struggling and encouraging them to start checking in on their mental health as a crucial part of their overall well-being.

Today is National Stress Awareness Day, and while we all experience stress from time to time, it can lead to some serious health concerns if we let it go unmanaged. Physical problems like high blood pressure and a weakened immune system as well as mental health problems like anxiety and depression can all be linked to stress. And it’s not just adults who are affected — kids and adolescents can suffer the consequences of stress buildup, too.

A 2019 study from Sesame Workshop, (the nonprofit educational organization behind beloved kids show Sesame Street) shows that most parents just don’t talk about identity with their kids. More specifically, over 60% of parents rarely or never discuss things like race and ethnicity or country of origin with their kids, and over half of parents rarely or never discuss gender.

One of the biggest changes that female kids experience during puberty is the start of menstruation. Periods can get complex: learning about what’s going on inside your body, navigating period care products, and figuring out how you can take care of yourself while you’re on your period is a lot to tackle. Talking about periods, on the other hand, shouldn’t be complicated. Learning about menstruation is an important part of learning about growing up, and it shouldn’t be shrouded in shame or misconceptions (like, for example, that you can’t get pregnant on your period).

Puberty’s tough — there’s no way around it. Maybe you have a strong memory of what it felt like to watch your body suddenly change and feel your hormones rage, or maybe you’ve tried your hardest to block these memories out (we don’t blame you). If you find yourself now faced with helping your own kids navigate puberty, your support can make a huge difference in helping them through it.