Category Archives: Guest Posts

Adolescent Depression – How To Help Your Teen Child Cope

While the onset of the ‘tween and teen’ age phase in any child’s life is usually subject to momentary blues, certain tell-tale signs that are similar to that of any occasional sadness or frustration could indirectly pinpoint to a more severe condition – teenage depression.

What with so many conflicts in terms of mood and personality, how is the average Mom or Dad to distinguish between the routine tantrums and any lethal implications of depression? Elaborated herewith is a short guide on how to determine so and tackle this situation; feel free to read on and know more!

First things first, what are some of the symptoms that can characterize depression in a teenager?

Although all teenagers suffer mood swings at some point of time or the other, mentally robust boys and girls are nonetheless able to pull through normal daily activities such as school and outings with friends fairly smoothly. In the case scenario of their depressed counterparts however, a keener observation is bound to reveal utter stagnation in terms of living and thriving, out of which include Bateaux gonflables:

  • Frequent outbursts of crying
  • A lesser amount of communication with others – always spending time alone
  • Restless nights
  • An unbalanced appetite
  • Suicidal thoughts/feelings, majorly expressed by means of journal entries, poetry or drawings
  • An extremely volatile behavior
  • Dependency on a particular object or activity (this could be anything from pornography to drugs)
  • A lack of interest in appropriate aspects of life such as lessons or family
  • Health-related complications such as aches and pains (in some cases, even beyond-average low blood pressure readings have been reported).

If you’ve sensed one or more of the above symptoms prevailing in your child, what are the necessary remedial actions that could be taken?

While the solutions are available, a holistic approach to sustainable recovery requires a substantial amount of effort and patience on your behalf as a parent. Therefore, keeping yourself calm and composed regardless of how traumatizing any situation relating to your son/daughter’s depression may be is key to achieving a desired state of mind for him/her.

On a fundamental level, here are some suggestions that may prove to be effective for the betterment of your teenage child:

(i) A one-on-one conversation with your teen: It’s most prudent to sit your child down and lovingly ask him/her as to what seems to be constantly bothering him/her and contributing to sadness. Offer to help without being judgemental. The last thing that your child will ever want to hear is nagging or unsolicited advice.

(ii) The help of a doctor: Consulting a family physician for the mental wellbeing of your child is absolutely ideal. Better yet, if you even have a family psychiatrist or counsellor at your call, resorting to get treatment henceforth is a valid option too.

(iii) The power of diversion: No matter what the woe, encouraging your child to participate in a leisure-oriented activity – be it dancing or Yoga is wonderful to help shift any negative focus far away from anything that would be troubling him/her inside.

About the Author

Jane Taylor is professional blogger who is interested in publishing dating tips and relationship advice. These days she is writing articles about introduction agencies London.

Image credit: martinak15

How To Help Children Cope With The Loss Of A Pet

A kid with his dog

When a pet dies, children often take it harder than an adult. Younger kids don’t understand why their beloved pet has gone and older children are just devastated at the realization they will never see their best friend again. If the pet died suddenly, the shock can be immense, but even if the pet finally passed on after a long illness or at the end of a long and happy life, the loss is still difficult for children to deal with. So how can you help your children cope during this difficult time?

Talk about Feelings

The best way to help a child deal with his or her difficult emotions is to encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. It can be tempting to try and gloss over the loss by pretending everything is ok, but attempting to shield your child from the pain of bereavement is not a good thing. The loss of a pet is difficult, but bottling up the emotion will only make the situation harder to deal with.

Have a Remembrance Service

Remembering...

One way of helping children come to terms with the loss of a pet is to have a remembrance service. You don’t have to go overboard and invite the whole neighborhood along, but a simple event with close friends and family will give your child the opportunity to say goodbye to their friend. How you organize the service will depend on the pet. Smaller pets such as goldfish or gerbils can be buried in the garden, at which point it may be appropriate to let the child say a few words. If you opt to have a larger pet cremated, you could decide to scatter the ashes somewhere meaningful and turn a sad event into a celebratory one. There really is no right or wrong way to hold a remembrance service—talk to your child and see if they have any ideas of their own.

Create a Memory Board

If a child is struggling to deal with the loss of a pet, encouraging them to create a memory board may help them work through some of their sadness and grief in a positive way. Look through photos together and choose some of your favorite ones. Turn these into a collage and add extra drawings or poems. Once everyone is happy with the finished memory board, hang it somewhere prominent. It will be hard to do, but facing the difficult emotions rather than pushing them aside will make the loss easier to cope with.

Talk about a New Pet

At some point the subject of bringing a new pet into the family home may arise. Some children may find the idea upsetting, so it is important to let them know that you are not trying to replace the deceased pet. Instead, impress upon your child that they will learn to love a new pet in a different way. Sometimes a new pet can help heal the pain of losing a beloved pet, so even if you are not keen on buying another pet, don’t be too quick to dismiss the idea.

Children are often more resilient than we give them credit for, but if your child appears withdrawn and depressed after losing a pet, keep a close eye on the situation and encourage them to talk about their feelings.

About the Author

Today’s feature contributor, Richard Earnshaw, works as an undertaker. He uses guest posting to share his thoughts on many life events and helps others overcome the loss of a loved one. His day job is at All State Cremation, a provider of simple cremation services in Cheshire CT.

Why Lion Who Has Never Given Up Story Is a Good Literature for Children?

The developmental stage of a child could be compared to a person growing a plant. If it is not being nourished well, the plant could grow very poorly. The plant needs proper watering and regular application of fertilizer.

The soil also needs to be cultivated well so that weeds could not grow. If the developmental stage of a child is neglected by parents, he or she could grow up as a person lacking values and etiquette.

All parents wanted their kids to grow up as smart and full of values so investing with good literature is crucial. What your child becomes is always pointed back to you. As a parent, you should do all your best to provide him or her the best of the best resources.

Books are investment but parents should look for the good ones. Exposing your kids to good literature will ensure a healthy growth emotionally and mentally. Here are 2 simple reasons why you should get children’s book Lion Who Has Never Given Up for your child:

Why is this book good for personal development?

1. Values for life. In this book, Leo was guided by her Mom. When Leo found out that he could not scare other animals with his small voice, he ran to his mother and cried. His mother said that in time Leo will get what he wishes for through perseverance. After getting advice from his mother, Leo trained everyday to develop his vocal ability.

He was disappointed because his effort seems useful but his mother still pushed him. In the end, he was able to let out a big roar that belongs to a true Lion, the King of all animals in Africa. The value of perseverance is highlighted in this book.

Can this book create big impact in the imagination of a child?

2. Honing imagination. Why do you need to develop this kind of aspect in a child’s developmental process? This book contains describtive images as well as intriguing content so the child will keep on imagining things. It is good to make a child imagine because it will be the kickstart of his or her creativity. Being imaginative plays an important role when kids grow up.

Being imaginative could make the young ones solve simple problems. From the title itself of the book, Lion Who Has Never Given Up, the child can draw an inspiration not to give up no matter what happen. It also means that if one door closes, he or she needs to others ways to get out.

Finding the right material for your kid could be a daunting task for you because you have your busy schedule at work. This book is what you’re looking for because it contains a great content which may positively impact the child’s personality. Start early and watch your child develop his or her reading skills while developing a very positive personality.

Below is a short trailer what this amazing kids’ story is about:

You can visit us at booksfor4yearolds.net where you’ll find other developing books for kids.

Thanks to Oleg for the wonderful post! And for writing such an insightful book. 🙂