LETTER TO THE EDITOR
SUPPORTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE
I just read the column by John DeMont titled ‘I’ve come to understand the anxiety of youth,’ printed in the Aug. 28 edition of this newspaper. (Note on the reverse side of that page is an article about the new Jocelyn Stewart Foundation, being launched in memory of a young lady who lost hope and took her own life at the age of 18 just last year.) Terribly sad; especially for her family.
My husband and I raised two ‘millennials’ and John DeMont is correct; it can be overwhelming for this generation and those coming up.
Our two children not only dealt with the serious issues that plague us as a society, but they also dealt with mental health issues that have run rampant in my family for generations such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and so on. Putting our family’s mental health issues aside, our children grew up in a world of mass shootings, social media that has caused many problems when allowed, terrorist attacks, radical changes in climate, etcl. It’s very scary out there!
I can only relate on how we tried to take charge of the narrative. To begin with, they lived with both parents and we were there 24/7 to support them emotionally. That lends young people a big head start these days. We got professional help at the first sign of any issues and carried through with that while they lived under our roof.
As a family, we talked openly about any topic, be it suicide, illicit drugs, sexual activity, etc. Absolutely nothing was taboo to discuss.
We set boundaries and stuck to them. We treated our children with respect and earned theirs in return.
Lastly, we pointed out every positive thing possible when the occasion permitted, even something as simple as a beautiful sunset or how a kind gesture on their part means so much to the recipient and vice versa.
There’s lots of kindness in the world and young people have to be made aware of that. I’ve often purported that there should be an all news network like CNN that reports nothing but positive stories. It would be a nice change from all the ‘gloom and doom’ we’re fed every day.
Maybe we were partly just lucky; I don’t know. But, our children have made it through some very difficult times and are stronger for it.
One of them still has mental health issues that affects them, but they seek professional help (on their own) on various fronts, determined to improve things so that they might enjoy life more.
They’ve seen other family members get to the light at the other end of the tunnel and are determined to reach it for themselves.
Empowering and supporting these young people to: 1) get away from social media and 2) seek out professional help, is a huge step in the right direction!
Obviously, having the proper supports there for them to access is profoundly important to getting mentally healthier.
Cheryl Burchell Yarmouth