Principal on child stress: 'There's no sense of balance in their lives'

An elementary school principal wants to raise awareness about anxiety among young children, noting that stress among students today is the worst he has seen in a 25-year career. 
        
Aubrey Dawe of Beachy Cove Elementary, in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, said he sees children in every grade suffering from anxiety, and points to overwhelming performance pressure as one potential cause.

"All of the different activities that they're in, there's no sense of balance in their lives," Dawe told the St. John's Morning Show.

"It's just very competitive, stress-filled days that they live, with all of the piano, swimming, hockey and it goes on... and [then] there is school."

Dawe and the school's guidance counsellor held a forum on youth mental health, attracting about 150 parents who came to hear advice from a mental health social worker and a child psychiatrist.

Dawe said the high turnout is a good indication that parents notice it is an issue for their children. 

"My sense is that they are very open to starting the discussion," he said. 

'A different way of thinking'

Starting the conversation about mental health early in life is exactly what St. John's psychiatrist Nazir Ladha suggests.

We lead very busy lives as parents, and I believe that sometimes we're not role models in that respect. We're missing that balance in our life- Aubrey Dawe

"We've got to start a different way of thinking for parents and for children so that they can recognize behaviour change that is troublesome and to learn and accept that it may be an illness and therefore to be quick to seek help," Ladha said during a recent interview with On The Go. 

Dawe agrees, and noted that was the goal of the session the school held for parents.

"To get our parents and families to understand that those stressors and those anxieties, they probably start well before they come to us but they're certainly manifested when they come to us," Dawe said. 

Dawe encourages all parents to watch out for stress in their own lives and be aware of setting a good example for impressionable children. 
    
"We lead very busy lives as parents, and I believe that sometimes we're not role models in that respect. We're missing that balance in our life," said Dawe.
              
Dawe says parents who attended the mental health forum at Beachy Cove Elementary are interested in attending more educational sessions in the future.