Since 2013 we've been through what realistically can be called some sort of hell. I've had 2 major surgeries, my partner had Meningitis and he's also been rushed to hospital 3 times for other serious conditions. We lost a child to suicide and another sibling then spent 2 years in hospital seriously ill. All the while, our children have had to keep going.
How on Earth they all manage to be so brave is completely beyond me, and I'm incredibly proud of them all.
In the UK 41,000 children lose a parent each year, which is more than 100 newly bereaved children each day.
1 in every 29 young people aged 5-16 has been bereaved of a parent or sibling - that's 1 child in every average UK class.
Over 750,000 children in the UK have a disability. 100,000 children and young people are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs.
800,000 children care for an adult with a disability or illness.
24% of children surveyed said they are bullied once a week or more. 11% said they have missed school because of bullying. 55% of 11-16 year olds have been bullied about their appearance.
24% of children surveyed said they are bullied once a week or more. 11% said they have missed school because of bullying. 55% of 11-16 year olds have been bullied about their appearance.
There are so many more things we could list here. A lot of our children have very big reasons to have to be brave.
There's no magic formula for finding your own bravery, and sometimes children can struggle and not feel very brave at all. Whenever my children tell me they feel scared, I try and remind them just how courageous they have already been. and that sometimes, the bravest thing of all is to tell someone how you feel. We all need someone to lend us a bit of their bravery sometimes.
Only when we take ourselves out of our comfort zone can we be truly amazed at what we can do. Being brave might be about fighting for your rights, your own safety or sanity, or supporting someone else. It might be about facing pain that we want to pretend doesn't exist. It might be about memories, fears for the future, or keeping moving forward when life hasn't gone the way you hoped it would, and you know it never can. It might be about getting through the next 10 minutes without giving up.
Being brave can be about accepting who you are and being proud to be that person - you are the best version of you that there will ever be. It can be about facing what scares you and walking towards it. You won't always win, sometimes you won't get the result you hoped for, but the only person guaranteed to fail is the one who doesn't make the attempt.
It's only when we are truly tested that we find just how far we can go. and how much more we have than we ever thought possible.
Children's Mental Health Week is organised by Place2Be a children’s mental health charity that provides counselling and mental health support and training in UK schools.
Previous posts:
Sources:
Winston's Wish - the charity for bereaved children.
Child Bereavement UK - for bereaved parents and children.
Disability Sport - sport and recreation for people with disabilities
I love the phrase "Find your brave". Reminds me of that Sara Bareilles song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQsqBqxoR4
ReplyDeleteYeah. There are a couple of songs like that - but that suits really well. It is such a positive phrase - everyone can find their brave, even if you need a bit of help.
DeleteWise words for us parents. You are right it takes a lot to be brave and you are always braver than what you think. xc
ReplyDelete