A story for Print and Online Media Publication under Lifestyle Section

A CHILD’S MOOD SWINGS MIRRORS FAMILY ISSUES

Whatever happens to parents or caregivers has a direct effect on children. Children’s mental swing reflects the emotional state of their parents or caregivers.

By (Students Name)

Web Headline: Why is your Four-year-old Niece and Nephew always Moody?

Interview: The article features Katy Fellerman, a child’s therapist based in London NW6 and a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) member. Contact: +447876354036

Promoting the Story Via Social Media.

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting a product, book, or sharing opinions and ideas. It provides a broader platform, and the audience is far-reaching. To promote the article “A Child’s Mood Swings Mirrors Family Issues” among readers, I will share the articles main lesson and advice; “parents and caregivers’ emotional status and well-being have a direct impact on a child’s moods and mental status,” on my social media networks together with the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to prompt my followers to read more. Secondly, I will ask questions that the article answers, such as “How does your state of mind affect your child’s well-being?” to the readers and provide the link to the article for readers to find answers.

Image 1: Courtesy of Magazine Desk (2015) Effects of a broken family

Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/you/76974-the-effect-of-a-broken-family

“When parents fight, they are not just creating cracks in their relationship; they are creating cracks in their children’s soul.” Priya Prakash.

“Children experience and display their parents and guardian moods easily than people may think; when children see that their parents and caregivers are sad, upset, or stressed, they too experience the same energy,” said Katy Fellerman, a child therapist in an interview over the phone. The next time your niece or nephew displays unusual mood swings and energy, there is a probability that your sister or brother is undergoing some emotional challenges.

The causes of sudden and constant change in a child’s behaviour can be found in the family. For instance, is there any changes in the family in the recent past? Are the parents or caregivers fighting? Are the parents undergoing separation? Or is one parent or caregiver dealing with personal problems that are negatively affecting their emotions? These activities have a direct impact on a child’s mental state. In the interview, Katy Fellerman says that most early brain development disruption, depression, anxiety and behaviour, sleep, and eating disorders in infants, children, and adolescents result from chronic interparental conflicts. If your student, niece, or nephew becomes unusually moody and develops unusual behaviours, take it as an indicator of emotional difficulties and consult their parents on the family status.

According to World Health Organization, 50% of mental health disorders start by age 14 and are majorly a result of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Experts in various fields including child psychology list factors such as physical neglect, parental separation, parental death, emotional neglect, physical abuse, domestic violence, and sexual abuse as adverse childhood experiences and the predeterminants of mental health disorders later on in the life of a child. This list identifies family issues such as parental separation, parental death, domestic violence as the primary causes of mental disorders in individuals.

“It is frightening to children to see parents and caregivers fight. When parents and caregivers experience emotional imbalance or regularly engage in intense fights with each other, children do less well and are immensely affected,” says Katy Fellerman in the interview. What does this mean to parents and caregivers? Children’s emotional well-being and ability to escape the statistics that place the onset of mental disorder at 24 years majorly depends on them.

What can parents and caregivers do to prevent family issues from affecting children’s emotional well-being? Katy Fellerman proposes that parents and caregivers address their issues in a better and mature way to solve the impact of family issues on children’s well-being. She says, “children notice arguments and fights regardless of whether done in public or private; what is important is how children interpret and understand the conflicts.” Parents and caregivers should handle their issues so that children do not see them as a potential cause of conflict and rift in the family. Additionally, parents should handle the conflicts so that children do not think they are the cause of the fights. Research shows that these are the major concerns of children when their parents fight.

Secondly, Katy Fellerman proposes that parents should limit incidences of violence and fights in the family. She states, “Although, the “how and why” matters in how children view conflicts; constant fights in a family will affect the emotional well-being of children.” Parents and caregivers should learn to build a peaceful and positive environment for themselves and children in a family to reduce incidences of emotional imbalance and mental swings among infants, children, and adolescents.

Avid Arad said, “The toughest thing for children to deal with when parents are fighting is not the violence on them; it is the violence in the family.”