Tip 3: Limit how we ‘vent’ our views in their earshot
Some of the big stressors for students have been around since, well, college: Coursework, relationships, or adjusting to campus life.But some of the main stressors for young adults today are big, global concerns—such as politics, gun violence, or climate change—that are outside of any one person’s control.
Remember at the opening of this blog, how many college students had significant anxiety? Well, we might need to personally reckon with one reason for that. According to the American Psychiatric Association, a recent survey found that more than half of Gen Zers (born between 1997 and 2012) experience mental health impacts around these big issues. And one reason is what they hear about politics from us—whether before they left for college, or what they read yesterday on our social media platforms.
Parents, this means we should choose our words with care.
When we vent the-sky-is-falling opinions, we might think we’re just letting loose our frustrations. But we’re actually contributing to our kids’ fears.
Of course there are many policy concerns that matter. But our kids’ mental health matters, too. (Not to mention that catastrophizing tends to make anxiety more acute in us, as well.)
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In