child rearing
Mothers like Chevonne Dixon aren’t worried about their children receiving a “perfect attendance award” at the end of the school year. Instead, the Long Islander is focusing more on keeping her honor roll students, her 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, from experiencing burnout. That’s why she gives them as much mental health as her mother would allow. Each student will take time off from school as needed.
Olga Ginsberg writes for the New York Post
Perfection isn’t a priority for Shevonne Dixon, a mother of two.
Indeed, the Long Island resident expects her children, a 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, to do their best in school.
But when the daily grind gets a little too overwhelming for honors students, millennial moms give them mental health days away from the classroom to keep them from burning out.
“I’m not worried about whether they have perfect attendance at school,” Dixon, 39, a Nassau County project manager, told the Post. told.
“Children today are under tremendous stress,” the avant-garde matriarch continued. “They manage the pressures of school, homework, extracurricular activities, friends, and social media. It’s a lot.”
On a recent December Mental Health Day, a dedicated parent and her 8th grade daughter enjoyed a Mommy and Me ramen lunch, drawing praise from commenters.
Gen Alpha has had three non-sickness absences so far this year, but Mr Dixon is trying to ensure that responsible young people take as much time off as they need before graduating to Year 9 in June.
This is a tradition she introduced to her teens in January 2023 after noticing that they were becoming overworked, and so far it hasn’t been a problem.
Some online naysayers mock her for her generosity, claiming that rugrats are allowed to rest on the weekends. But the Dixon youth, like most young people of their time, spend their Saturdays and Sundays at sports practice and Girl Scouts.
“Sometimes kids just need a break,” Dixon said. To protect Dixon’s privacy, he has chosen not to publish the name of his child.
and new yorker timeout Your approach to parenting may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
A May 2023 survey of more than 2,000 parents commissioned by teletherapy hub Presence found that 66% of mothers and fathers would prefer their child to come home after school with a “depleted emotional battery.” It found that half of respondents noticed signs of stress and burnout in their children. thing.
Fieldworkers at the University of Friborg in Switzerland also found that stress among young people has increased since the coronavirus outbreak, according to another study published in May.
Research shows that pressure to retrieve forgotten academic materials during post-pandemic lockdowns and the trauma of being temporarily forced out of the classroom have led to increased anxiety, depression and irregular sleep patterns among students. It is said that this spurred the
“Parental support is considered a protective factor against disease. [these] There are psychosocial health challenges,” the analyst noted. “Students who feel emotionally supported by their parents are less stressed by the demands of school and are less likely to experience burnout.”
Yamaris Diaz, a child and adolescent psychologist at New York University Langone Health, fully supports this mom-approved break, saying that mini-mental breaks give children the same emotional responsibilities as their work. , told the Post that it teaches them to value their mental health. physical health.
However, she advises parents to allocate holidays wisely.
“Mental health days can have a negative impact if mothers and fathers force their children to take them too often, which can impact their schoolwork and attendance obligations,” the therapist says. explained. “If there are ongoing issues with school or workload, parents should make sure their children are not using mental health leave to avoid problems.”
“Mental health days can be a great coping reset to recharge kids for success,” Diaz added.
And outraged New York City parents clearly agree.
When 3.2 inches of snow fell in the Big Apple on February 13, a group of disgruntled Gotham residents fought for their toddler’s right to relax. Angry adults scolded Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Education for trying to force mandatory remote learning. Historically, it would have been considered a bad weather pass to play all day.
“I emailed the teachers and said,[My son is] We are not doing distance learning. He’s having a snow day,” Deanna Baratsis Thomas, 53, a lawyer and mother of three on the Upper East Side, told the Post.
“We don’t take schools lightly,” agreed Veronica Gil Mannarino, 55, a mother of two from Staten Island. Rather than forcing her 12-year-old twins to log in for lessons, she lets them frolic in the powder and eat pizza that Tuesday. “But I think it’s time to let kids be kids.”
But in addition to snow days, New Jersey mother Noelle Rapallomento, 26, allows her 6-year-old daughter to miss one day of school a month during the 181-day school year, according to the Post. In response, she defended her motherhood strategy online.
“Even if she’s not sick, there’s no way she’ll miss a day,” said her Gen Z first-grader.
Kayla Lemanski, a 30-year-old Pittsburgh mother of girls ages 6 and 9, echoed similar sentiments. She even told haters on TikTok to “go fuck yourself” if they disagreed.
“My daughters are too young to understand exactly what ‘mental health’ means…but I can recognize the signs. [of burnout] Among my children,” she explained to the Post, referring to the elementary school students.
The brunette duo are entitled to up to seven days of mental health leave a year.
“Going to school five days a week for eight hours is basically a full-time job,” Lemansky added. “Children’s hearts are very vulnerable, so we need to nurture them by spending days just focusing on releasing tension.”
Caitlin Fladager’s children, Arianna, 10, and Jack, 8, are limited to two calls a year outside of class. But more than just snacking and relaxing, she also makes her kids do good old-fashioned chores to relieve her frustrations.
“We try to do one thing that will make their mental health a little bit better, like cleaning their room, doing their laundry, taking a shower, or stopping something on their to-do list. “I try to do that,” said the 30-year-old lifestyle vlogger from Vancouver. ,Canada. “It really helps bring peace and clarity.”
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