How to raise emotionally healthy kids? | Emotionally healthy children have parents who do these 5 things.

How to raise emotionally healthy kids – a lot depends on the parents. Emotionally healthy children have parents who do these 5 things.

Mental health problem is not limited to adults – kids go through mental stress too. Kids having depression and attending therapies and having anti-depressants is not new in countries like the US. What can parents do to raise emotionally healthy kids? Actually, quite a lot.

Why you should raise emotionally healthy kids?

It’s a strange world we live in. There are more teen suicides now than we had known earlier. Children find it hard to cope up with life challenges like – pressure of exams, separation of parents, breakups, etc. Kids, adolescents all need good mental health to thrive in their lives.

When you raise emotionally healthy kids – you are raising confident kids who trust their own judgments, who are not afraid, who can communicate better and solve their problems. As a parent, we can equip our children to be mentally strong, resilient and emotionally healthy.

Emotionally healthy children have parents who do these 5 things, let’s see what they are.

How to raise emotionally healthy kids?

Communicate with children. Know What is happening in their lives

As parents, connect with your child at a human level. Stay up to date with what’s happening in the world and what’s happening in your child’s life. Make an effort to know what they like – the kinds of books they are reading; kind of content they watch online or TV.

Talk to them and ask questions about their day – what he did in school, who his friends are. Share similar inputs from your life too to make a better and open conversation.

Keep the communication healthy and two way.

Let kids solve their problems

Saw your child in an argument with a friend. Want to jump in and rescue him?

STOP RIGHT THERE.

Let kids solve their own problems. Let them find out the solution. If they come for help, counsel them, no more than that. When kids solve their own problems like doing their own home works, math problem, friend problem – they get a sense of pride in themselves. Let them enjoy that.

You can help with suggestions – don’t get into rescue mode. You don’t want your child to grow up with the “damsel in distress” mentality.

Say Yes more than no

Saying no to kids come naturally, right?

No TV.
No iPad.

No Ice cream.

Instead of saying no, say yes to simple things that your child asks for. When you keep forcing down negative commands they tend to ask for it more. One YES against few Nos will boost their confidence.

Practice Positive affirmations

Positive affirmations are good. They improve problem-solving skills, creativity skills and boosts confidence. Make them practice realistic positive affirmations. Practiced as a routine regularly make kids emotionally healthy and confident.

You might like: Positive Affirmations to take control of your life

Teach them how to handle failure

Teach children how to handle failure. Remember the spider climbing up the wall story? Yes, moral stories were really good. Teach children the best way to succeed is to fail an learn from the failure and try again.

For example, while playing building blocks if your child is frustrated why it’s falling down – don’t jump in to rescue the situation by building it. Ask your child what he thinks about why it is falling down. Ask him to try again and find out a solution.

Model emotionally strong behavior in front of your child. They look up to you, you are the role model. Tell them failure, rejection re all parts of life and not a very big deal. Tell them failure doesn’t define them.

As a mom, I will be much happier if I child comes back to me crying sharing a problem with me, communicating with me his true feelings, what he is going through. Instead of sulking in a room and thinking deeply about issues that might just scar him emotionally.

Other things that you also should teach your kids to safeguard them – body positivity, good touch bad touch, saying no, how to have boundaries, sharing is caring.

Did you like my tips on how to raise emotionally healthy kids?

Did you like my parenting style? Do you think I am right when I say I want to raise an emotionally healthy kid who can solve his own problem?

I am sharing Parenting hacks for Millennial Moms on this Season of A to Z Challenge. Adding the post links as I post them.
A – Amazing Moms
B-Boys -What Boys Need from their moms
C – Calm mom – how to be a calm mom
D – Discipline kids without yelling

Until next time.

Cheers.

Xoxo

Tina.