Next week the Duchess of Cambridge will be a guest editor with Huffington Post to raise awareness of Young Minds Matter.
It will be looking at the reasons and solutions of Mental Health issues in children.
It seems tragic to me that there is even a need for this sort of thing, but having worked for over 15 years with children I am also very aware of the need for proper support for our children/grandchildren who are facing all sorts of anxieties and worries, and how low their self-esteem is.
Having low esteem makes you feel as though you are useless and a failure.
The Duchess says,’Every child deserves to grow up knowing their potential and feeling confident that they won’t fall at the first hurdle, that they cope with life’s setbacks,”
Children who find themselves apart from one parent and other members their family, are confused, angry and bewildered. It is vital that they have a safe place to go, a trusted person they can talk to about how they are feeling.
It seems to me that the society the children are growing up in now is one that has lost family values, families no longer work together, children are not put first, the throw away society has thrown family bonds away also.
And the people who are suffering most are the children.
If you are a child reading this take a look at Place2be https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-story/childrens-mental-health-week/ or if you know of a child who is struggling perhaps you could direct then to the link. Hopefully they will find the help and support they need there.
In a time gone by, grandchildren could go to their grandparents to talk over their worries and concerns, I know certainly my boys were often found having a chat with their gran. Something I am eternally grateful for.
The reality as we now know, is that over one million children in the UK are denied contact with their grandparents, so they don’t have that trusted and special person to go to.
I hope when the mental health of our children/grandchildren is looked at, that family breakdown is noted and the damage that it is causing our young people.
Jane