School holidays and parenting
Summer time is upon us and we have even had a glimpse of some sun lately! Judging by the quiet tubes and trains in London at least, it’s likely that many parents have wisely chosen to take their annual leave to coincide with the Olympics 2012 and school holidays.
School holidays are great and give parents and children the time to spend some quality time together, have fun, go on trips and generally enjoy each other’s company. Modern life unfortunately means that everyone is always so busy working and juggling demands so the holidays are great to take time to enjoy family life.
At the same time, spending more time with your children and teenagers also means you may have the opportunity to spot signs if they are not as happy as usual, seem distracted or distant or are displaying unusual behaviour.
YoungMinds aims to support parents at times like this. Our Parents’ Helpline receives hundreds of calls from parents who are worried or concerned about their children and need advice about whether their child’s behaviour is typical or ‘normal’ or if their concerns are justified.
Issues that are frequently discussed are eating or sleeping problems, a change in behaviour, anxiety, self-harm and depression. There are more details about other concerns parents have here.
Our advisors are trained to explore parents’ concerns and discuss any support that’s been made available so far. They can advise on practical ways to get help and they will then send parents information in the post including leaflets and factsheets. Callers who need further advice will be offered a free confidential telephone consultation from a YoungMinds child mental health specialist which give parents a chance to think through the situation with an expert, and to work out the best way to resolve the problem.
Sometimes talking about your worries can be difficult. If you are a parent and have concerns about your child, you can always email our parents' helpline for advice parents@youngminds.org.uk anytime. Or you can chat online to a trained advisor, from 11am to 1pm, Monday to Fridays.
You may also find it useful to check out our parents' survival guide for helpful tips.
For further information about all the Parents Helpline services, check out our website.
