Don't ask them to live in our world, visit their's instead.

With so much stimulation, parents and caregivers with busy lives, and the state of the world at present many children and teens are struggling. Things have changed and being a school aged child is hard. Social isolation post covid, settling back into school and a genuine worry for the planet seem to be on the majority of young peoples minds these days.

Kids or teens who are bullied often find themselves struggling with low self-esteem, and internally echo the thoughts of those around them. Children who are in some shape or form eccentric or abnormal will experience a higher degree of bullying, especially if they are sick or struggle with mental health issues. Bullying can commonly lead to emotional trauma, stunted emotional growth, antisocial behaviour, and can push your child to resort to bullying as well, as a way to “strike back” at others.

Children and adolescents who find it difficult to make friends often feel lonely and unhappy. They are more at risk of academic underachievement and dropping out of school. Children with no friends are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than those who have at least one friend. They are also more likely to be harmed by experiences of victimisation and rejection. 

Children can get angry for many reasons. Preschoolers feel angry because they have not yet learned to control or express their emotions. They also have limited insight into the effect their actions or words have on others. Older children may demonstrate anger when they feel that something isn’t fair or they feel left out or misunderstood. Some anger is normal in children, but extreme or frequent anger or aggressive behaviour may indicate developmental, trauma or mental health problems. 

Although most young people begin to recover from a traumatic experience over the weeks following the experience some will have persisting or worsening symptoms. This can increase their risk of developing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or problems with substance use in later years.

When parents decide to live apart the effects on children can be devastating. They may feel as if their entire world has been torn apart. Separating parents sometimes cannot see this or may minimize the impact on the children, not because they are bad parents, but simply because they are overwhelmed and not functioning as well as normal nor are as attentive as their normal selves.