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Connection Is Key

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Why Talk About Connection?

According to the CDC, socially connected people with stable and supportive relationships are more likely to make healthy choices and to have better mental and physical health ourcomes. They are also better able to cope with hard times, stress, anxiety and depression.

Family Connection Is Key

Tip #1: Create a Safe Space and Growth Opportunities

  • Be Predictable: Routines and consistent rules and consequences help kids know what to expect. With this security, they are better able to learn, try new things, strengthen bonds and improve self-worth.

  • Spend Uninterrupted Time Together Regularly: Every minute you spend together is a chance to get to know your child better. How exciting! It also teaches them that they matter.

  • Listen and Validate: Validation doesn't always mean agreement. It does mean that you hear them and acknowledge their feelings as real. In turn, kids learn to value themselves and trust their own emotions.

  • Give Responsibility: Use chores, family outings and general acts of kindness to help kids learn that they can do hard things: a real self-worth builder.

  • Give Trust: Expect the best from your children and you’ll usually get it.

  • Give Trust: To build true self-worth, recognize the behavior and attitudes that got them their successes. Praise solely for accomplishment teaches us that we are only as good as our last test score or goal scored.​

Peer Connection Is Key

Tip #2: Help Youth Discover a Sense of Belonging

  • Model and Talk Openly About Healthy Relationships: What kids hear and see from trusted adults greatly impacts their decision-making as they mature.

  • Get to Know Their Friends: Take an interest in every new friend to show your kids that you value what they value. Reinforce good friend choices to empower them for future relationships.

  • Teach Quality Over Quantity: Shallow friendships are many and fleeting. Set a goal of one or two true friendships based on mutual interests and shared beliefs. That’s all we need in life.

  • Appreciate FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out): Recognize the pain that comes from feeling excluded. Take these moments to just sit and be sad with your child. When the time is right, help them move past it with new activities, new groups, and new people.

Community Connection Is Key

Tip #3: Build New Bridges to Learn Our Value in the World

  • Pick Your Passion: Kids and parents alike should let their interests guide their connections. Let your kids see you engage and they are likely to follow suit one day. Book clubs, faith communities, sport leagues, school clubs etc.

  • Be Positive: Wherever you connect, focus on the good that’s happening. You may not agree on all the politics or policies, but positivity and an attitude of non-judgment will fuel a desire to remain connected to any cause.

  • Share a Commitment to School: Studies show a declining commitment to school for 12 – 18 year olds. Since they spend roughly 35 hours a week in a school setting, strong connections there are valuable.

  • Prioritize Mentorship: Through organized mentor programs or informal relationships, positive adult influences outside the immediate family are tremendously beneficial to youth.

  • Volunteerism: Each time we help someone else, we are reminded that the space we take up on the planet matters. So grab a friend or family member and get out there!

  • Youth as Mentors: With all their many strengths, help your child see themselves as a role model or mentor for someone else. A sibling, a neighbor, a non-tech savvy relative. Their sense of value will expand dramatically.

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