Why I Wrote Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids
In February 2020 I was hired as the director of counseling for a large church just outside of Washington D.C. I was given a lovely office where I figured I'd spend plenty of time focusing on the care and counseling needs of individuals and families connected to the church.
That plan changed when I was sent home to work remotely for what was expected to be two weeks. That two weeks was known as 15 Days to Slow the Spread. No one had any idea what was in store for us as a church, a country, or a world as the COVID-19 pandemic changed all that was normal.
When 15 days came and went we were all still at home riding out the pandemic. Families were forced to make major adjustments and I began getting calls from concerned parents. Working from home that year, I spoke to many parents who were seeking help regarding the emotional challenges their kids were facing. If your child hadn’t struggled emotionally before 2020, chances are they struggled during or after 2020. Fear, anxiety, confusion, grief, and sadness began to be common experiences for children and parents needed help understanding the emotional impact the ongoing pandemic was having on their kids.
One might think this was the driving event that motivated me to write a resource for parents addressing kid's emotional health, but it wasn't. Before the word "coronavirus" was a household name, a significant trend was already happening. More and more parents were reaching out to me and my colleagues seeking help for the emotional struggles their kids faced. Struggles related to friends or lack thereof, identity issues, bullying, pressures from social media, questions about their faith, and so much more plagued kids and teens.
Parents wanted biblical guidance that addressed the rising emotional challenges of the younger generation. Certainly the pandemic heightened parent's concern about their children's emotional health, but the need for help was already there. Seeing this early trend, I wanted to provide parents with a relevant and practical resource and the idea for this book began.
My goal was to help Christian parents know when and how to find help when their child was struggling while at the same time calm fears by educating moms and dads on what to expect from the emotional development of their children. I also wanted to give parents a resource that would help them know what emotional health looks like for themselves. Wise parents assess their own emotional wellbeing and seek to honor the Lord in whatever changes may be needed.
I am thrilled to be able to share this new book, right now, when it seems needed more than ever before.
Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids is readable and useful– not too long but packed with practical help. It is a balance of biblical wisdom coupled with a clinical understanding of the emotional development of children. I have drawn on what I have learned from years of being a counselor and I also share what I have learned in my own experience as a parent. Though I am a continual learner in both of these areas, I pray what I share will be helpful to parents as they seek to raise emotionally healthy kids.
Whether the past couple years have proved challenging for your kids emotionally or if they struggled even before the pandemic, this resource will provide helpful guidance. It is also very helpful for parents whose kids are doing well. The preventative direction will keep you headed in the right direction. Pre-order is now available at www.10ofThose.com.
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