Take your “man up” nonsense and get it in the bin!
I have no idea how it is already February. I’m genuinely not enjoying how fast life is going right now. Is this just how it is? Or is it because our lives are just too busy? Who knows…. But I need it to slow down. Please?
Before I start venting about aging and life flying by… back to this topic. Mental Health.
Children's Mental Health Week is taking place this year from 3-9 February 2025. Place2Be’s website states that 1 in 5 children experience mental health difficulties; 50% of children and young people with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14 and the most common mental health problems among young people are emotional disorders, including anxiety and depression. Fairly grim stats but not surprising sadly.
The nature of my job (Principal Teacher of Support for Learning) involves working with many (and tragically always a growing number!) young people with poor mental health and childhood trauma, and the fact my own wee OG baby is having a bit of a tough time with big feelings right now, meant it was important for me that Moonlight Rainbow stocked picture books that centre on emotions, neurodivergence and those tricky topics to talk about!
Our daughter started asking questions about death when she was 3 and it completely caught us off guard. No one had died to trigger it but it became an emotional bedtime topic (always bedtime!) for weeks and every now and then crops up again. (However, just recently I was discussing this with a friend, who is an educational psychologist, and she assured me this was completely spot on developmentally in terms of age and stage - but no one had told me that at the time! So I’m sharing this with you - be prepared!) We didn’t want to lie, or say anything off the cuff that we would find difficult to roll back on either but we also didn’t want to terrify her! Luckily her nursery teacher (if you’re reading this Sara, you’re amazing!) was great at recommending some age appropriate picture books to help us discuss this in a pre-schooler-friendly way.
With most difficult topics or questions I turn to a book. Even just for a starting off point. There’s so much nuance in relationships and feelings, I find myself getting into a brain fankle trying to explain it all to a 3…4…5…6 year old! Picture books are the answer. In fact, they are almost always the answer! So I hope adding to our section on feelings and including those trickier topics like death, family separation & racism will be useful for you too.
On a personal level I’ve had support with my mental health for over half my life and I think being open and encouraging honest and frank (albeit age appropriate!) discussions about our emotions are vitally important. Particularly for our wee boys out there. In the last 6 years alone, 4 young men I’ve taught over the years have died by suicide between the ages of 13 & 28. Our boys need to know that connecting with their emotions and seeking support is not weak. It’s vital. Place2Be highlight that 1 in 10 boys aged 5-19 with a mental health condition are suspended in some form from school. I was about to go on to mention the terrifying rise and popularity of (I don’t even want to say their names!) Tate, Trump & Musk among others but that is too much for one blog and I’d need more coffee (or gin) to go there right now. Phrases like “man up” and “boys will be boys” need to get in the bin. Boys - embrace your emotions! Cry! Ask for a hug! Ask for help! Because these things show true strength.
If you’re reading this we’d love for you to get in touch with any books you have at home that have helped out with a tricky topic or supported your little one in understanding their emotions.
