Do Kids Need Mental Health Breaks Too?

My second grader woke up today and decided school was just not in his plans for the day. No amount of reasoning, talking to/with, bribing, or explaining could convince him to go. Not even my husband, who can usually reason with him, could convince him to go. He’s our most social kid, who loves to learn, loves his teacher, and loves to be with his friends, so we knew something was going on. When I finally got him to talk to me about why he didn’t want to go, he admitted, “I just feel sad for some reason. I don’t know why. I just feel sad today.” And so here we are, having a mental health day, allowing him to process and feel his feelings.

I think that sometimes, as adults, we assume that kids don’t feel as deeply as we do. But the reality of it is, is that they do feel deeply, and some days, those feelings are just too big. Don’t we as adults have those kind of days? And aren’t we as adults allowed to take a sick day for a mental health break? So why shouldn’t kids be allowed the same?

Anyone, of any age, can benefit from a mental health day every now and then. Sometimes, our mind just needs a break to get back on track. I realize there are some days we have to just push through, and there are days our kids have to just push through. But if the circumstances allow, a mental health day can be extremely helpful. 

Some might argue that missing any amount of school will lead to a student falling behind. While it is true that there will be work to make up, one missed day here and there likely won’t be detrimental to the student’s overall success. Another point to consider with this argument is that students who are mentally overloaded are likely to tune things out or lose interest and therefore not perform at full capacity. 

Others may say that allowing students to miss school for mental health will teach kids that they don’t have to do hard things. I do agree that students need to learn how to do hard things, because life is just that way. Sometimes we simply have to do the things we don’t want to do. However, allowing a student to take a day off to tend to their mental health sends a message that taking care of our minds is just as crucial as taking care of our bodies. It helps kids see that mental health matters, because it does. 

Mental health is talked about more today than ever before. When we realize that it isn’t just adults who struggle with mental health problems, our eyes are opened and we become more sensitive to the rising generation and their mental health concerns. Because they matter. Their health— physical and mental— matters. It’s our job as adults to teach our kids and our students helpful techniques to handle challenges when they arise. Giving them effective tools to manage their feelings can greatly help them now and in the future.

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