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Should children have mental health days

1
Mental health days are promoted as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle in adults but what about our children? Do they deserve a day of resting at home when the pressures of school and life all seem a bit overwhelming?

Back when I was attending school (seems like a life time ago now) I would always have to go to school without fail unless I was actually dying! I’m not joking, if my left arm fell off; my mum would of wacked a plaster on it and sent me off because I am right handed and could still do the work. If I even complained of being tired

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or not wanting to go into school, I would get a proper telling off…

Some high school students have such a busy schedule that most of the time, even their weekends are filled with school work. Every year there is more pressure put on students regarding their classes and getting accepted to college, jobs, clubs, relationships, friends, and family. Students have plenty to stress over and when you are a child everything is magnified 10 times the size and can quickly become overwhelming.

It is extremely hard to reduce the amount of stress

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in a child’s life, besides not overwhelming them with too much responsibility or limiting the number of extracurricular activities they are involved in, this can open up more time to focus on school work and also allow some much needed down time but as we know this isn’t always possible.

 Now look at it this way, you wouldn’t question letting your child stay at home if they were physically ill say with a cold, so a mental health day here and there could really benefit your child’s mental health.

Though I think it’s

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4
important for some children to experience working through the hard times as we can’t always protect our children from everything and there is defiantly benefit in showing them that they are able to cope or at least can learn to cope in certain circumstances in life. I think its important for them to learn and realise that they are stronger than they think.

With allowing your child to take the odd day off (I’m talking once or twice a year) when they are emotionally/mentally exhausted will really back up how important it is to look after your

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mental health, that’s it’s OK to rest your minds and its defiantly OK to not be OK all the time.

 
Some people think that we are too soft on our children in this modern age but I really don’t think this falls under the idea that we are treating our children as fragile little beings that can be easily broken, children are resilient . We are a society that does not always focus on our mental health, I have been that person over stretched to near breaking point and I will do anything to stop my child from going down that  path and even if that

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includes a few days at home.

 

 It is important that our children learn about the hardships in life, that they need to work hard and strive to be the best person they can but it’s just as important for them to realise when they need to slow it down and take a break. We all have our limits.

I understand it isn’t always this simple though, pressures of work for parents, many are just unable to take a day off just so there child can have an emotional rest. When I worked in nurseries, I would often see parents droping up their sick

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children and sending them to nursery anyway as “they just can’t take time off”.

Let’s stop, maybe your child could do with a day at home. Let them be open about their mental health and that it’s as important as anything. It teaches them the tools they will need later in life to tackle the issues much bigger than the ones they are facing now.

We all need the odd day to yourself, to stop, drop our shoulders and breathe and by teaching our children this skill will only benefit them in later

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life.

www.mumforce.co.uk

 

Instagram – @mumforce_

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child mental health days

- 19 Feb 19

Mental health days are promoted as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle in adults but what about our children? Do they deserve a day of resting at home when the pressures of school and life all seem a bit overwhelming?
Back when I was attending school (seems like a life time ago now) I would always have to go to school without fail unless I was actually dying! I’m not joking, if my left arm fell off; my mum would of wacked a plaster on it and sent me off because I am right handed and could still do the work. If I even complained of being tired or not wanting to go into school, I would get a proper telling off…
Some high school students have such a busy schedule that most of the time, even their weekends are filled with school work. Every year there is more pressure put on students regarding their classes and getting accepted to college, jobs, clubs, relationships, friends, and family. Students have plenty to stress over and when you are a child everything is magnified 10 times the size and can quickly become overwhelming.
It is extremely hard to reduce the amount of stress in a child’s life, besides not overwhelming them with too much responsibility or limiting the number of extracurricular activities they are involved in, this can open up more time to focus on school work and also allow some much needed down time but as we know this isn’t always possible.
 Now look at it this way, you wouldn’t question letting your child stay at home if they were physically ill say with a cold, so a mental health day here and there could really benefit your child’s mental health.
Though I think it’s important for some children to experience working through the hard times as we can’t always protect our children from everything and there is defiantly benefit in showing them that they are able to cope or at least can learn to cope in certain circumstances in life. I think its important for them to learn and realise that they are stronger than they think.
With allowing your child to take the odd day off (I’m talking once or twice a year) when they are emotionally/mentally exhausted will really back up how important it is to look after your mental health, that’s it’s OK to rest your minds and its defiantly OK to not be OK all the time.
 
Some people think that we are too soft on our children in this modern age but I really don’t think this falls under the idea that we are treating our children as fragile little beings that can be easily broken, children are resilient . We are a society that does not always focus on our mental health, I have been that person over stretched to near breaking point and I will do anything to stop my child from going down that  path and even if that includes a few days at home.
 
 It is important that our children learn about the hardships in life, that they need to work hard and strive to be the best person they can but it’s just as important for them to realise when they need to slow it down and take a break. We all have our limits.
I understand it isn’t always this simple though, pressures of work for parents, many are just unable to take a day off just so there child can have an emotional rest. When I worked in nurseries, I would often see parents droping up their sick children and sending them to nursery anyway as “they just can’t take time off”.
Let’s stop, maybe your child could do with a day at home. Let them be open about their mental health and that it’s as important as anything. It teaches them the tools they will need later in life to tackle the issues much bigger than the ones they are facing now.
We all need the odd day to yourself, to stop, drop our shoulders and breathe and by teaching our children this skill will only benefit them in later life.
 
Instagram – @mumforce_

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Gail aka Mumforce, is a Scottish lifestyle / parenting blogger and a mum of two, based in Edinburgh. After giving birth to 2 little darlings Gail focussed some attention towards rediscovering/discovering herself. Being a daughter, sister, friend, wife and mother can take a lot out of the best of us. Whilst in amongst/ dealing with all the unpredictability’s in life it’s an easy thing to go into pilot mode/ forget to catch your breath and although bringing up another human being is arguably one of the most difficult challenges a human can be blessed with – “it can often be the case the we want more in respect to purpose, something that is just me”. Gail is open about her mental health and hopes that through writing, honestly about her experiences she can allow others to open up and no longer feel alone. As well as talking/writing about her struggles with mental health, Gail blogs about daily life, women’s rights and issues that some are afraid to address. Throw in a few family outing reviews, product reviews and mum fashion and we have a very mixed bag which truly represents the addictive randomness that is Mumforce. ​To begin with Gail found writing as a form of therapy and a hobby however through her literacy journey Gail’s lifelong pursuit of seeking acceptance has been redefined – “ I finally understood that it was self acceptance that was being sought and have since embraced every ounce of human emotion and solidified its presence through my words”. A unique character who we can all relate to who gives a fantastic reflection of the main battle we have in life, “the person staring back at me in the mirror”.

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