We Must Watch Out for Each Other
Living in challenging times
“When you find yourself stressed, ask yourself one question: Will this matter in 5 years from now? If yes, then do something about the situation. If no, then let it go.”
―Catherine Pulsifer
My son is in high school, and I can’t imagine walking those hallways nowadays.
When we were young, we dreamed of growing up and moving out of our parent’s home. I moved out at the age of eighteen years old. I can’t even imagine my son living on his own in this world during these challenging times.
My son stayed home with me yesterday from school. I’m thankful for our time together. He is seventeen years old and took a mental health day. I’m struggling as a parent to push him beyond his fragile mind's capability right now.
As parents, we are responsible in the court of law for our children’s behaviors. I’m not saying he is not mentally stable to attend school, but could the kid in his economics class with a failing grade be ready to crack?
Our school system is beyond stressed. There aren’t enough teachers or bus drivers. The counselors and sports staff are consoling children with many issues beyond what we had to deal with while growing up.
I chose to keep my son home from school and gave him a mental health day.
He kept busy with these activities:
- Writing in a journal
- Getting his long hair cut short
- Getting a new pair of shoes and a few new pants
- Getting caught up on some homework
- Watching a new show
- Reading
- Staying off the computer
My mother-in-law is going to pass away at any moment. It’s too much for him to process when he was already feeling stressed out.
We must be our own healthcare advocates and also be our children’s advocates as well.
Taking care of himself
My son will work on changing things up for himself this month. He’s at that age where he’s trying to figure out what he wants to do as an adult.
He is struggling because life is so different. He will take baby steps of self-care to feel better and let some of his stress go.
Schools should consider
Schools should consider teaching our children how to be adults. Academics is fundamental, yet it’s not everything our children need anymore.
Our children are our future. We must consider their mental health even more these days than ever!
“Stress is the trash of modern life – we all generate it, but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.”
– Danzae Pace
Here is a list of necessary classes:
- Beginning and advanced journal keeping
- Meditation
- Simple money management
- How to bounce back after a challenge
- Grief groups
- Class for kids without a lot of friends to overcome their challenges right along with another struggling peer
Watching out for each other
We must watch out for each other. I don’t care if he’s missed more school this year than before the pandemic.
The school needs to reconsider its attendance policies and change them to support our current times. They need to allow some additional mental health days as well.
“In times of life crisis, whether wildfires or smoldering stress, the first thing I do is go back to basics … am I eating right, am I getting enough sleep, am I getting some physical and mental exercise every day?”
– Edward Albert
We only live once
Will it matter five years from now if my son skipped school yesterday to take care of himself?
Pushing our kids because we feel bullied by the school system due to truancy letters, needs to stop.
We are adults and doing our best to make it through these times ourselves.
The school systems need to revamp their policies and realize that things are constantly changing, so their policies must be too. Have you been feeling stressed along with your children?
Thank you, Trista Signe Ainsworth for your publication, Thank You Notes and your editorial team.
I’m thankful to share this story in response to how we give ourselves pep talks. Sometimes the people closest to us are the ones hurting the most silently. Sometimes hard times call for an enormous pep rally!
A cute story about my son’s hair:
