Getting to know your child can be a separate parenting task all in itself! There are times when simply asking your child what is going on with them will produce little to no conversation at all. And then there are times when your child is a verbal water hose, letting out everything that is going on in their life all at once. But no matter which way your child chooses to talk to you, it can be overwhelming to know how to process what they’re saying or what they’re not saying!

We now live in a world where diversity often spans past race, and being aware of the various ways that diversity comes into our lives has to be a daily practice. In the series, Diversity Matters, I’ll be sharing insights from mental health professionals about how to discuss a variety of diversity issues with our children. 

Working with families as a family/parent coach, I get to hear a lot of the stressors that parents endure while raising their children. Although I tend to focus on the behaviors of the child and the relationship between the parents and the children, I can’t close my ears to the plight of families navigating the various systems they encounter while trying to access care for their child. In this series, I will talk about how parents can advocate for their child in areas like school, mental health, and medical care.

With the recent deaths of noted celebrities, and the choking challenge videos that have gone viral on the internet, it is becoming increasing important to talk about the effects of mental health on our society with our families.