Improving Your Child's Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being
Parents play an important role in the healthy development of their children. In today’s world, there is a big focus on mental health and supporting children to boost their self-esteem and self-confidence, but the amount of information at our fingertips can be very overwhelming.
Tips to Help Improve your Child’s Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being
Parents play an important role in the healthy development of their children. In today’s world, there is a big focus on mental health and supporting children to boost their self-esteem and self-confidence, but the amount of information at our fingertips can be very overwhelming. The Zebra Centre has put together a few tips for parents to help identify when their child may be struggling, respond to their child’s behaviour and promote their child’s emotional well-being.
How can I tell if my child is struggling?
Many children who are struggling will express themselves with behaviours that are different from their “normal”. Some of these behaviour changes could look like:
Negative talk about themselves, blaming themselves for things beyond their control
Difficulty concentrating
Increased feelings of worry, guilt, fear, irritability, sadness, anger, helplessness, loneliness and rejection
Loss of interest in activities they enjoy
Changes in school performance
Overreacting or sudden outbursts of anger or tears
Changes in appetite and sleep patterns
Difficulty relaxing and sleeping
Every child is different and will express themselves in a different way. As parents, it is important to pay attention to your child’s behaviour. When you notice a change, talk to you children about what might be going on instead of reacting to the behaviour. This will help yourself and your child separate their feelings from their behaviour. These conversations can help teach children to work through their negative feelings and problem solve in the future. As one article states, “Feelings are like important road signs if we understand them and listen to them, they can teach us where to go next and what to look for,” (7 tips to improve your child’s mental health and emotional well-being).
How do I start building healthy emotional well-being?
Whether you believe it or not, you have a lot of power in helping your child develop healthy emotional well-being as a parent. Here are a few tips that you can incorporate into your parenting routine:
Encourage, don’t discourage
As a parent, it is likely that you have a vision of what you would like your child’s future to be. However, this vision may be different from what your child wants for themselves. It is important to encourage your child to be true to themselves, even if it is different from what you had hoped for. Pay attention to your child’s interests and allow them to try new things. Your child’s journey is complex and it is important to empower your child to make decisions and explore who they are. As a parent, your unconditional acceptance means a lot to your child.
Provide an emotionally and physically safe place for your child to grow
Creating a place where your child feels safe emotionally and physically is important. Disciplining with respect and not shame, normalizing feelings by talking about them, and demonstrating patience are a few strategies to consider. In today’s world, parents should set healthy boundaries with children, especially around internet safety. Explaining why a boundary is in place and including your child in the decision-making process can demonstrate to your child that their voice is important.
Model the behaviour you want to see
Kids pick up and model the behaviours they learn from the people around them. Parents can teach children healthy patterns by modelling the behaviours they want to see. For example: openly sharing feelings, practicing self-care, treating others with respect, disengaging from technology and using body-positive language, etc.
Stop and think before you react
Before reacting to a child’s behaviour, it is important to stop and think through your response. Instead of disciplining with shame, use respect. Instead of yelling and nagging, see the situation as a teaching opportunity. Again, model how you would like your child to manage conflict in their own lives.
Making changes can be challenging, however, helping your child improve their emotional wellbeing is worth it! For more information, check out the resources below.
Check out this great resource activity booklet by Jennifer Jorgensen, Recreation Therapist, CTRS. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing!
Resources:
https://parentswithconfidence.com/everyday-ways-to-nourish-a-childs-mental-health/
https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/mental_health
https://www.carizon.ca/7-tips-improve-childs-mental-health-emotional-well/
Resources to Report Child Abuse:
Edmonton Police Service: 780-423-4567
RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police): Your local detachment
Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-387-5437
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or Text CONNECT to 686868
Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477
Online exploitation tip line: cybertip.ca
Submission by Zebra Child Protection Centre
Growing in Tandem: Kayla Kaliszuk and Kirsten MacDonell Talk Motherhood, Business, and YEG BOSS BABES
YEGBOSSBABES hosts everything from vision board workshops to holiday mixers to seminars with award-winning women entrepreneurs—“yegsperts,” as they’re called. They also have a membership program. Perks include a space on the YBB directory page (a beautifully-designed online database of women-run businesses in Edmonton), event discounts, and professional headshots.
Not too long ago, Kirsten MacDonell was having a lunch meeting at Earl’s. She noticed her server—a woman in her early twenties—eavesdropping on her conversation, clearly interested in the words being exchanged over shared appies and salads. When Kirsten signed off on the bill, the server saw an opportunity to jump in.
“Are you from YEG BOSS BABES?,” she asked, the same way you might ask a celebrity to confirm their identity.
“I am!” replied Kirsten.
“I love what you’re doing,” the server said. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
For Kirsten, moments like this illuminate the true value of what she and YEG BOSS BABES co-founder, Kayla Kaliszuk, are doing. “It’s like, ooh, they’re into it,” says Kirsten. “Our work makes a mark in society, and we want to continue.”
When you think of a typical “networking event,” what comes to mind? Probably a lot of suits. Probably a large, nondescript conference space or a ballroom full of business types, chatting stiffly about growth or returns or establishing a brand identity. Probably lots of greys. Lots of blacks. Lots of men.
This, at least, is the atmosphere Kirsten faced most often while working in sales for a large company.
“The networking stuff we went to was 95% men. There weren’t a lot of women attending,” she says. “And the feedback I was getting from coworkers was like, ‘I was so uncomfortable going to those events because I didn’t feel like I could relate to anybody.’”
Kirsten decided to create a space where networking wouldn’t be such an intimidating, dude-driven experience. As a “solopreneur” herself (Kirsten has her own photography business in addition to a sales job) she knew how hard it was to gather resources and grow a business without a support network. She texted a few friends, including Kayla, a fellow small business owner, and asked if they were interested in starting a wine club (a terrific way to generate interest). “We can go to each other’s houses, meet women who are doing similar things, and swap resources,” Kirsten said over the group text.
“Kirsten sent us a logo and we were like, ‘this is awesome, let’s do it!,’” says Kayla.
Fast forward a couple of years and YEG BOSS BABES—the outcome of the wine club—is now a thriving business with over 139 members and 1700 email subscribers. Their mission? To connect women entrepreneurs with the resources and community they need to grow and thrive in business.
“I feel like more and more women are wanting the freedom to start their own business, but they don’t have friends or resources to lean on,” says Kayla.
That’s where YEG BOSS BABES (YBB) comes in. Led by Kirsten, Kayla, and additional co-founder Amy Bender, YBB hosts everything from vision board workshops to holiday mixers to seminars with award-winning women entrepreneurs—“yegsperts,” as they’re called. They also have a membership program. Perks include a space on the YBB directory page (a beautifully-designed online database of women-run businesses in Edmonton), event discounts, and professional headshots.
Read more about this featured article at the Hillberg + Berk website here.
Writer: Mica Lemiski
Photos: Janelle Dudzic Photography & Nicole Constante Photography
Location: @homebyblondy
Finding Your Career-Minded Mom Tribe | Pros&Babes
“I missed the adult conversations on mat leave.”
“I felt judged in other moms’ groups because I like my job/I’m working on mat leave/I’m going back to work early.”
“I’m concerned about how becoming a mom will impact my career.”
Photo | Nicole Constate
“I missed the adult conversations on mat leave.”
“I felt judged in other moms’ groups because I like my job/I’m working on mat leave/I’m going back to work early.”
“I’m concerned about how becoming a mom will impact my career.”
That’s why Pros&Babes is here - for moms who feel this way.
It all started at 4 A.M. on a cold October morning. I was jet-lagged from a trip to Europe with my three-month old baby during my first mat leave. He was sleeping and I was exceptionally awake.
Photo | Nicole Constate
One Evenbrite event and a (cheesy) Google page later, Pros&Babes - which offers cohort-style discussion, learning and support programs for career-minded moms - was born.
After this initial experiment, which started in 2017, Pros&Babes continues offering programming for moms on mat leave, a peer mentorship program for working moms and fun meetups for fathers and kids.
As I wait for baby #2 (due on Labour Day - he could come any moment!) I know the old normal will soon be replaced by new chaos and my #momboss thoughts might change completely. But -- here we go! In completely random order.
Photo | Nicole Constate
One of my favourite concepts learned throughout this adventure is “integration”. It’s much more apt and accurate than the concept of work/life balance. Becoming a mom makes us a better professional, and we take what we learn from work and become better parents - we integrate. But balance? It rarely all feels balanced in the short term!
Having a tribe of like-minded moms, who cherish their careers, is simply amazing. Thanks to them, I’ve personally never felt judged for being passionate about my community and my work. Through Pros&Babes, I’ve met some of the most fabulous women in Edmonton.
A couple of resources I love to share with moms on mat leave:
Work, Pause, Thrive (a nice one for entrepreneurs)
Birthing is hard. Parenting is hard. It all transforms you in such a profound way. Take the time and the support you need to process this enormous life transition. And don’t be afraid to get professional help where and when you need it.
Thank goodness for experts. We’ve worked with specialists from the US to Australia to South Africa for sleep, allergies and eczema. Sometimes you just can’t read ten books and become an expert on the topic. Hiring one will save you time, sanity, and money! (I cannot stress how much Dr. Aron helped us with eczema. After months of struggling to relieve our son’s suffering, he helped us, online, within a matter of days.)
Black bean brownies are a miracle (and gluten-free). My son is allergic to eggs, nuts, and dairy, and this recipe gave me the chance to treat him while nourishing him.
Our family recently discovered the Free Forest School of Edmonton. We love how our son explores nature in the company of other kids and are excited to attend more often.
Sending buckets of gratitude, gratitude and more gratitude for the amazing women I’ve met on this adventure! Some of them have really gone above and beyond to help me keep going with Pros&Babes when my son was little and when I went back to work to my full-time job. A special shout-out to two #mombosses: Charlene, a P&B facilitator, and Johnna, a dementia specialist and also a tremendous P&B supporter.
Entrepreneurship and figuring out what works and what doesn’t often feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. And like a crazy roller-coaster. Especially for a business like mine, that’s developing alongside two little wonderful human beings and other professional activities.
Thank you, YEGBOSSBABES, for creating this community in which we can learn, grow, and support each other!
YEGBOSSBABES hosts everything from vision board workshops to holiday mixers to seminars with award-winning women entrepreneurs—“yegsperts,” as they’re called. They also have a membership program. Perks include a space on the YBB directory page (a beautifully-designed online database of women-run businesses in Edmonton), event discounts, and professional headshots.