Teenage mental health issues.
Liptember 2024 - Day 15
Today the football & netball club had their annual presentation day where the best & fairest awards are given. The words that resonated from several coaches speeches were that the best performing teams had good peer leadership, good peer connection and good parent involvement.
It goes without saying that team sports are great for kids but it can also be isolating when you're not the best or don't have a ball winning position. How can we make our teens more resilient to the challenges they face.
As a parent, be involved, be interested, listen, ask them about it. Ensure your kids are supported with good leadership & good values. Stay connected. Don't drop & run. Meet their friends, meet the coaches.
Why are these things important. Because the top 3 mental health issues facing 14-19-year-old girls in 2024 are body image issues (48%), depression (47%) and anxiety (41%). We obviously don't have the equivalent stats for boys, but I feel they would be almost identical.
It is a difficult time to be a parent in the age of social media, but being connected to your kids will help identify if these issues are hurting your kids. I often ask ... "how was your day?", "how was class?", "how did you think you played today?", etc. By just letting your kids know you're interested or available to talk if they need it could potentially help mitigate these issues.
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