Wellness For Our Children
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”
Psalms 127:3 NKJ
September is a month of several new beginnings as the school session resumes. There will be new schedules, routines, friends, and a return to a more structured schedule. Regardless of whether the child is entering kindergarten, elementary, high school, or college, a new school year can be exciting, yet stressful for both the children and their parents. Since many declare that “children are our future,” and “every kid matters,” we want to discuss how we can assist in keeping them healthy and well, along with prioritizing their safety. Currently, the children are having to face and contend with many different societal trends and challenges that their parents have not had to deal with.
The start of the school year is a perfect time to explore all aspects of wellness, relating to our children. The health of children encompasses mind, body, and soul similar to their parents, just on a different level. This is also a time to help them develop good and healthy habits, along with helping them make good choices in their life. They are in a vulnerable stage that can be easily influenced, in either a positive or a negative direction. Some of the issues they may encounter can be corrected or redirected if the parents can recognize signs of trouble, promptly so, they begin to deal with it right away.
The Bible can give us much direction in this area. It says to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Parents can also pray for wisdom and spiritual guidance on raising their children. The church is also available for extra support, as needed.
We want to discuss some tips for parents to assist them in helping their children transition safely back to school and to help them start to develop good healthy habits involving all aspects of wellness. As parents and community leaders, we need to understand the challenges impacting our kids and their health, before we can even begin to help them. As adults, we ignite young people’s drive for success, but perhaps through all the encouragement to be the best, we don’t teach them how to deal with the failure that they inevitably will encounter in life.
There are four protective factors, to build on that could help buffer against suicide and suicidal behaviors. This could help protect and strengthen our children’s mental and emotional health.
Four PROTECTIVE FACTORS TO FOLLOW:
High esteem
Social connectedness
Problem-solving skills
Supportive family and friends
QUALITY TIME:
Families need to prioritize some quality time together, where they can talk about their new routines and school schedules. Meals together, when possible, would be a good place to start. These times allow parents to check in on their kids and hear from them, about what is going well and what is still challenging for their children in the new routine, and they can adjust accordingly.
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:
Listening to that involves our eyes and ears
A positive mindset and positive statements go a long way
Routine and schedules throughout the entire day provide structure for the whole family
Identify other safe adults your child can talk to. It does take “a village”
Make informed and intentional decisions about the use of emerging technologies and develop norms, valves, and training for responsible tech use
MOST IMPORTANT & EFFECTIVE THINGS TO DO:
Give words of encouragement and let kids know that they can do new and challenging things. Listen to what they are expressing as their fears or concerns, affirm those emotions, and then help them be prepared to face those fears in positive ways.
Accept the challenge to address the disease of despair by building authentic human relationships.
Helping make sure the kids get an appropriate amount of sleep and eat healthy foods.
Try replacing chips and sodas or sweetened drinks with more water and other healthy ones. Also, increasing more protein and fruits in their food diets, and avoiding spicy snacks.Sports, recreational activities, and exercises are rewarding to their development socially and physically—helping keep kids off the streets and out of the way of bad influences.
Taking care of their physical health helps them respond to the emotional stress change usually brings
HELP KIDS UNDERSTAND BULLYING
Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about it if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.
When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time.
Keeping the lines of communication open with the children, it can get them to talk more with open-ended questions.
Keep up-to-date with your kids’ lives are many simple ways to do so, such as going to school events, meeting the teachers and counselors, etc.
6 RULES FOR SCHOOL SAFETY:
Recommendations of the National Association of Elementary School Principals
Learn the school’s emergency procedures - Take the time to learn the emergency plans and phone numbers, which are usually found in the school handbook, online, or posted in classrooms.
Know travel routes to and from the school - Make sure you and your child know both the primary and alternate routes. This will help if roads get damaged, etc.
Know and follow school security and safety measures - May need to sign in if visiting or wearing a badge while on school property.
Talk with your child about safety - Be specific. Talk about instinct and explain what to do if they don’t feel safe (find a teacher, call 911, etc).
Inform school staff about health and emotional concerns - Be sure to keep the teachers and principals in the loop about any food allergies, physical disabilities, etc.
Get involved - Talk with the principal about what you can do to increase school safety, such as organizing parents to help form a neighborhood watch, etc.
Being proactive goes a long way toward your peace of mind!
Prepared by: Adriene Tillman, RN
SOURCES:
Our Health Matters Magazine — September - October 2019 (www.kcourhealthmatters.com)
Scholastic, scholastic.com
stopbullying.gov
OTHER RESOURCES:
NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE — 1-800-422-4453
NATIONAL RUNAWAY SAFE LINE — 1-800-RUNAWAY
WA TEEN LINK — Phone & Chat — 1-866-TEENLINK - teenlink.org
NATIONAL SUICIDE Prevention Lifeline (24/7) — 1-800-273-TALK
If you or your family members are experiencing some life challenges, we as the Health Ministry have several community resources at our fingertips. Let us know how we can help!
JOIN THE HEALTH MINISTRY TEAM!
Do you have a passion to encourage others to serve God holistically through our minds, bodies, and souls? We invite both medical professionals and non-medical people to join this special team!
