SAN ANTONIO – Monday is the first day of school for South San ISD, Jourdanton ISD and Edgewood ISD and many other districts will soon then follow.
As children return back to the classroom, KSAT 12 wanted to provide students and parents with a mental health tool kit to help them navigate through an emotionally trying time.
The summer started in the wake of the Uvalde massacre, which left many parents and students emotionally on edge.
It’s why KSAT reached out to the CEO of the Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative Talli Dolge, about some ways families can stay on top of their mental health just as students return back to school.
Dolge said the first step is to start the conversation, and use it to check in with how they are doing mentally.
She said it’s important to be real with them and transparent and sometimes opening up to your children about your own feelings first can help them feel more comfortable to talk about how they are feeling.
“I think that part of it is about being very real with them and saying, I am starting with my own feelings,” Dolge said. “A lot of the time, like, you know what? This has been a really challenging time and I don’t really know how I’m feeling about a lot of things, but I really want to just check in with you. I’m not asking you to tell me your life story. What I’m asking is just how you are. And I think when we’re able to relate on that level and just what we’re saying to them, it’s okay to tell us something, but you don’t need to tell us everything. Then you get you give an inch and they’ll go they’ll end up taking that as you care.”
Another important factor in having these conversations is make sure to keep your questions open ended. For example: What are some of your feelings about going back to school? Or are you feeling nervous about going back to school, if so what is making you feel that way?
She said being vulnerable with your children is also really important, that way you can create a strong connection with them and they feel you are a person they can trust and open up to as well.