Be There Now.
How will you know when your child is going through more than just a mood? Teens and tweens can push parents and loved ones away, but the bond is deep and starts much earlier. From their earliest days, simple activities like cooking together, concerts, or just watching a show together and talking about it can help strengthen the psychological safety needed for a child to open up and get help with a problem even years down the road.
#BeThereNow
You are the critical piece to a child's well-being.
For youth mental health, focus on the roots of your relationship
One thing we've learned after helping millions of kids get help and go back to being kids: a caregiver or other trusted adult is the single biggest support a child has. And what that child values most is your presence. Get social graphics to share, information about youth mental health, and what you can do at any point in a child's life to build trust and strengthen the relationship, just by making memories.
Social graphics for sharing
Here are a few shareable social graphics with examples of how you can #BeThereNow.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day
See and share these cards with the facts about youth mental health and a few ways an adult can connect with a child and encourage them to open up if something is wrong. These cards feature text and image scenarios instead of people images for brands and supporters that prefer it.
What then?
Learn the facts
See more about the strengths and resiliencies of kids, and what you need to know to be an advocate for them, on our National Statistics page. You’ll learn about the work of National Children’s Alliance (NCA) and our network of nearly 1,000 Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) across the United States.
You’ll learn about the signs of child trauma, the myths and facts surrounding it, its effects on kids, and what we can do to heal it. Plus, information on keeping kids safe, how CACs help kids and families, and more. Start your education here.
Support NCA's work
To help heal the hurt, give to NCA and further our mission to support those who support kids. NCA is the voice on Capitol Hill for these CACs in communities nationwide. We set the standard for their practice with science, and we ensure they are delivering the highest quality care to kids and families. We support them with funding, training, and technical assistance. We raise the issue of kids’ wellbeing to national prominence.
And now, we need your help to do it. Make your gift today: one-time, recurring. You can even donate crypto or in-kind goods or services, or start a conversation about a corporate partnership that supports kids.
Build trust for the moments when you need it
Teens and tweens aren’t at an easy age, and those years can start younger than you think. One moment, they’re fiercely independent, think they don’t need you, and you don’t need to know anything about them. The next moment, they need you like any child does. How on earth can you reach them about mental health challenges they may be experiencing, when they don’t even want to tell you where they’re going?
That’s why taking moments every week and every day to #BeThereNow for a kid you love pay off down the road. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy: cooking, playing ball, or going for a walk around the neighborhood can mean everything. Kids will always remember the great things you did together when they were little, but the only way you will reach them today is to take the time to get to know who they are now.
Listen. Ask questions. Keep your cool, and remember what it was like when you were their age.