Parents make a child's physical health a top priority. Her diet, sleep and visits to the doctor or dentist are usually monitored and supervised. There are countless guides moms and dads can refer to when it comes to coughs, colds and other physical ailments. However, there is little guide about how parents can nurture a child's emotional health.
About 21 percent of children and teenagers in the United States have some kind of mental disorder, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there are only a few institutions providing mental health treatment specifically for children even as this is a growing problem, per Health Day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for families to nurture the emotional health of a child as early as the infancy stages as this has great bearing in her development for the future.
Below are some tips to raising an emotionally healthy child:
1) Spend time and pay attention.
No matter how busy parents are, they should be able to put focus on the child and offer quality bonding time. Per Help Guide Org, bonding creates trust that will help the child have loving and empathic relationships. When you're doing activities with your son or daughter, be sure to turn off your mobile phone or hold off using the other gadgets. The child needs to have your undivided attention even if it's just for 30 minutes.
2) Acknowledge the child's feelings.
Don't discount tantrums as these feelings of anger, frustration or sadness are real emotions. Repressing this could cause depression in adulthood, per Psych Central. It's a lot healthier to let the child express this, but it can also be a teaching moment. For instance, if your boy hits other kids out of anger, acknowledge his feelings but let him know that hitting is not okay.
3) Help the child develop coping skills.
The child has to learn to channel emotions with breathing exercises, imagery, music or art and physical activities. These are techniques that can strengthen her coping mechanisms, especially when she's faced with adult problems later.
4) Constantly impart the value of "letting go."
That famous song from "Frozen" delivers a strong message on forgiveness and moving forward. This will help the child become less attached to hurtful feelings, per Huffington Post. If he feels slighted whenever a friend doesn't want to play, teach him to "let it go."
5) Don't forget to praise the child.
Praising boosts the self-esteem and nurtures the child's sense of value. The most effective praises focus on efforts and achievements to motivate the child, per Kids Matter.
