How and When to Apologize Properly to your Child

This year marks the 10th anniversary of National Bullying Prevention Month and the theme is “The End of Bullying Begins with Me!” Sadly, 1 out of 4 children report being bullied during the school year. At Silver Hill, we believe that you can help prevent bullying by teaching children empathy, compassion and how to celebrate differences very early in life.

Every parent wants what’s best for their children. We want them to do well in school, make friends, be happy and healthy, and be kind to others. But how much responsibility do we bear as parents in helping them achieve these goals?

Traditionally, summer was a time for kids and their parents to relax and enjoy some unstructured days – a chance to decompress, have fun and play. But thanks to the ubiquity of personal technology, as well as the increasing number of scheduled summer activities, the summer can feel an awful lot like the hectic, plugged-in school year for some families.

When you’re a parent you’re bound to feel anxious at times. It’s normal to feel some anxiety when sending your child to school for the first time, leaving them overnight for the first time or sending them off to summer camp. All parents feel a certain amount of anxiety, but when you have an anxiety disorder, it’s easy for it to spiral out of control.

Every parent of a teenager is familiar with the mood swings, defiance and other behaviors that are often part of adolescent development. But how can a parent recognize if their teen’s challenging behavior is something more serious than that – such as depression, anxiety or another mental illness -- requiring serious intervention? 

As time goes by, things get harder and harder for teens.  Slogging through junior year, SATs, and college applications are all a prelude to the inevitable worry about college acceptance. 

1 in 4 people use social media worldwide. Most people login to social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, multiple times a day. For some, it’s the first thing they see when they open their eyes in the morning and the last thing they see before bed. Although it seems harmless to scroll through your Facebook newsfeed to see what’s going on with your friends, it does come at a price. 

Prom and graduation season is a time for celebration but also a time when underage drinking develops into binge drinking by some teenagers. 

Mental illness is not uncommon. One in four people will struggle with a diagnosable mental illness every year. That means that it will most likely affect you, someone you know and love, or even your kids. But unlike other illnesses, there is still a stigma attached to mental illness and behavioral problems. When it comes to kids, many will begin to develop a stereotypical image of mental illness as they get older based on what they see in the media or hear from friends, which is why education is important. So the question arises - when and how can we talk to our kids about mental illness in a way that will be educational and reassuring? 

Taking a sip of alcohol before the age of 21 seems pretty harmless to most teens, but the truth is drinking has damaging effects when abused. It’s important to educate kids at a young age about the risks associated with alcohol, which is why "For the Health of It: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction" is the theme of this year’s National Alcohol Awareness Month. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 11% of teens have some kind of depressive disorder by the age of 18.  Many more teens have symptoms of depression that, when detected and treated early, may prevent the onset of a major depressive episode. 

As fall arrives, college students are settling into their routines. The pressures of college create a great deal of stress for students. Keeping up with school work, getting good grades and navigating new social circles can weigh heavily on a young mind. How does one keep up?

Having a baby is supposed to be one of the most exciting and happy times in a woman’s life, but depression can make this time very difficult and unpleasant. The dramatic changes in hormones following birth cause mood swings and up to 80% of women experience the “baby blues” However, having baby blues is different from clinically significant depression.

Your child is begging to come home from camp. Maybe you suspect bullying. What should you do? Dr. Aaron Krasner, Adolescent Transitional Living Program Service Chief, gives parents a few tips. 

1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder. Most of these disorders begin by the age of 14, but often treatment isn’t sought until years later. 

A week of beaches, parties and bottomless cocktails. This is a picture of spring break for many college students in the US. Although it’s portrayed in the media as a week of non-stop fun, spring break can quickly turn dangerous. 

As we sit and watch the Super Bowl and look forward to the Olympics, it's easy to think our child might be the next sports prodigy. If only they showed some discipline, went to their trainers, worked hard. It may well be your child is a gifted athlete, but pushing them or becoming an over-involved sports parent will not only embarrass them, it creates unnecessary anxiety for them -- at a time when they need it least -- and can be detrimental to their long term development.

What to say and what not to say   Approximately, 61.5 million Americans or 1 in 4 adults, experience a mental illness in any given year, meaning millions more are trying to figure out how to support a friend or family member.

As a community, the Sandy Hook area has suffered an unspeakable loss of previously unimaginable proportions. However, becoming as informed as possible is one way to cope. Therefore, we have compiled a list of trusted resources to help you deal with this loss. You will find information for children, teens and adults, videos, PDFs and books. We will continue to update this information as additional resources become available.

According to Stopbullying.gov, bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.  More than just physical abuse, it also includes making threats, spreading rumors or excluding someone from a group on purpose.  Bullying seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.

Adolescent Consultant Barbara Greenberg, Ph.D. discusses how summer is the perfect opportunity to help teens grow into independent adults who make wise decisions. Several parenting tips included.

Many schools will soon be hosting their senior proms, and while we do need to be concerned about all the excess that seems inherent to the event – indulgent spending, drinking, wild behavior – proms can be fun and meaningful events for you both.

All adults, including parents, coaches and teachers, are important role models for kids. It is by example that we teach them to celebrate victory and accept disappointment. They idealize and emulate us. Much of the research shows that the influence of adult role models may even surpass that of siblings, peers, and celebrities in the lives of their children. What would we say if a professional team engaged in destructive behavior each time they lost?

If you think only homes with young children need to be concerned about locking up their medications, you are wrong. While it is essential to lock them up if you have young children, this is not the group at the highest risk: the group most likely to misuse and abuse your prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications is teenagers.

As a parent, we must teach our children to navigate their lives safely and help them balance school, recreation, family, and friends. Yet even with all the new electronic distractions, many parenting principles — such as teaching your kids how to behave towards others — not only have not changed, but actually transcend the newest gadgets or fads. If you find your child has a personality characteristic that needs tweaking then, yep, it is your responsibility to do so.

Move-in day is an annual ritual if you are the parent of a college student. But while lugging heavy suitcases up too many flights of stairs may leave you exhausted, it probably leaves your son or daughter feeling adventurous and excited. Chances are, you go home and collapse and they go out to one of many welcome parties where old friends are reunited and new friends are made — and chances are, there will be plenty of drinking.