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

If you weren’t already aware, November is Men’s Health Awareness Month, a period dedicated to drawing attention to health issues affecting men such as prostate and testicular cancers, suicide prevention, and mental health. In order to raise awareness around these important topics, many men will sport a mustache or participate in No Shave November as a way to create a conversation about men’s health.

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.

That’s our belief here at maro parents. If a system doesn’t aim to improve the lives of the most vulnerable that it serves, then it’s a flawed system. There are many inequities that people of color come across throughout their daily lives. They show up in the financial lending system, the job market, and even in our healthcare systems. Unfortunately, children aren’t impervious to this reality.

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.

As a parent, it can be difficult to determine when your little one needs professional help to cope with their anxiety. Is their worry situational and something you can help them through? Or, is it something that seems to be consuming them every day?