08/19/2025
READ IT TWICE PARENTS!
Dr. Ovidio, Pediatric Neurologist, warns about a silent tragedy unfolding in our homes today.
There is a silent tragedy unfolding in our homes today, and it concerns our most precious jewels: our children. Our children are in a devastating emotional state!. Over the past 15 years, researchers have gifted us increasingly alarming statistics about an acute and steady increase in childhood mental illness that is now reaching epidemic proportions:
The statistics don't lie:
• 1 in 5 children has mental health problems
• A 43% increase in ADHD has been noticed
• A 37% increase in teenage depression has been noticed
• A 200% increase in the su***de rate in children aged 10 to 14 has been noticed
What is going on and what are we doing wrong?.
Children today are being over-stimulated and over-gifted with material objects, but are deprived of the fundamentals of a healthy childhood, such as:
• Emotionally available parents
• Clearly Defined Boundaries
• Responsibilities
• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep
• Movement in general but especially outdoors
• Creative play, social interaction, unstructured play opportunities and spaces for boredom
On the other hand, these last few years have been filled with children of:
• Digitally Distracted Parents
• Forgiving and permissive parents who let children "rule the world" and be the ones who make the rules
• A sense of entitlement, of deserving everything without earning it or being responsible for getting it
• Poor sleep and unbalanced nutrition
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Endless stimulation, technological nannies, instant gratification and absence of dull moments
What to do?
If we want our children to be happy and healthy individuals, we need to wake up and get back to the basics. It's still possible! Many families see immediate improvement after weeks of implementing the following recommendations:
• Set limits and remember that you are the captain of the ship. Your kids will feel safer knowing you have the control of the helm.
• Offer children a balanced lifestyle full of what children NEED, not just what they WANT. Don’t be afraid to say “no” to your kids if what they want isn’t what they need.
• Provide nutritious food and limit junk food.
• Spend at least one hour a day outdoors doing activities such as: cycling, hiking, fishing, bird/insect watching
• Enjoy a daily family dinner without smartphones or technology distracting them.
• Play board games as a family or if the children are too young for board games, let them lead their interests and let them be the ones who rule the game
• Involve your children in some task or household chores according to their age (folding clothes, sorting toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table, feeding the dog, etc. )
• Implement a consistent sleep routine to ensure your child gets enough sleep. The timetables will be even more important for school-age children.
• Teach responsibility and independence. Don't overprotect them against any frustration or any mistake. Making mistakes will help you develop resilience and learn to overcome life's challenges,
• Do not carry your children's backpack, do not take their backpacks, do not take them the homework they forgot, do not peel their bananas or oranges if they can do it by themselves (4-5 years). Instead of giving them the fish, teach them how to fish.
• Teach them to wait and delay gratification.
• Provide opportunities for "boredom", because boredom is the moment when creativity awakens. Doesn't feel responsible for always keeping the kids entertained.
• Do not use technology as a cure for boredom, nor offer it to the first second of inactivity.
• Avoid the use of technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, shopping centers. Use these moments as opportunities to socialize by training the brains to know how to function when they are in the mood: "boredom"
• Help them create a “jar of boredom” with activity ideas for when they are bored.
• Be emotionally available to connect with children and teach them self-regulation and social skills:
• Turn off phones at night when kids have to go to bed to avoid digital distraction.
• Become an emotional regulator or coach for your children. Teach them to acknowledge and manage their own frustrations and anger.
• Teach them to greet, to take turns, to share without anything, to say thank you and please, to acknowledge the mistake and apologize (don't force them), be a model of all those values you instill.
• Connect emotionally – smile, hug, kiss, tickle, read, dance, jump, play or crawl with them.
Article written by Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, Psychiatrist.
