Page 7 - enLIGHTening-Best Summer Ever

Summer Concerns That You Never Think About
by Cooper Yu, January 31, 2020
Although the view in summer is so attractive that we can barely move our eyes quickly, we still need to think behinds. Compared to winter, many caregivers would naturally believe that summer has less potential to cause mental disorders; however, summer is hard for many children. Summer exposes some risks for children.
It is a phenomenon that people tend to implement various activities in summer, for example, camping, go to the beach, music festivals, house party or night market. Especially in Winnipeg, because the winter lasts for nine months long, people feel more precious of summer heat. Children indeed have more opportunities to socialize either with friends or family gatherings, which can cause mental concerns. The more children engage with people, the more they might feel the lack of social development and skills. Children are easy to get offended, especially during adolescence. Their self-confidence and positioning are always so vulnerable that any setbacks may make them fall into the whirlpool of self-doubting and low self-esteem. Then, they begin to apologize frequently, feeling that they are a humble little person in the dust.
Thinking back on our childhood in the summer holiday, we usually get more time to spend with friends without the distraction of social media and technology the whole day long. We play all day long in the neighbourhood and explore every corner in the city during summer. And looking at the children right now, social media becomes an essential part of their daily life. Suppose any of the children in a low-income family cannot pay for having activities in summer. In that case, they see a video on YouTube of a “fancy summer.” At that time, how does that child would think? What would the child do? Does it would affect his or her behaviours or not? These are some concerns that caregivers need to think deeper about and be aware of earlier than the situation. In a rapidly developing technology world with globalization, technology has two sides for children’s development.
All in all, this article is not convincing caregivers not to have any summer activities for children. Instead, the purpose is to provide a chance for caregivers to think, reflect and respond. When caregivers start to realize the potential risks of having mental disorders in summer, they have an opportunity to observe children’s behaviours and figuring out some solutions. Many reasons can cause mental disorders, and it is a big issue for children. Summer same as winter and the same as other seasons, which could be a reason for children to have mental disorders.
References
Boylan, K. Summer can be hard on kids with mental health problems. PubMed Central (PMC). Retrieved 31 January 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6691798/.
Tribou, D., Staff, S., & Parker, P. (2020). Tips for managing kids' mental health during a summer of uncertainty and change. Michiganradio.org. Retrieved 31 January 2021, from https://www.michiganradio.org/post/tips-managing-kids-mental-health- during-summer-uncertainty-and-change.
Hutton, R., & Sepúlveda, M. The Effects of Summertime Experiences on Children's Development. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 31 January 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK552668/.
View Point Center. Mental Health Summer Camp For Struggling Teens. Teen Mental Health Hospital. Retrieved 31 January 2021, from https://viewpointcenter.com/b/mental-health-summer-camp/.
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