The truth about mental health days 👀

Don’t panic—but we have something to tell you. It’s almost time to start thinking about the next holiday (yes, we’re aware Christmas was yesterday). Valentine’s Day is in three weeks. 

And while you might not have a “go all out for Cupid” kind of household…we have a simple and easy idea: Our adorable and entrepreneurial daughters, Taylor and Olivia, launched a 40 oz stainless steel tumbler that is too cute. It’s perfect for your Stanley-obsessed tweens this V Day. Get yours here!

The Truth About Mental Health Days

Do you let your kids take “mental health days?” We’ve definitely done it, especially on the days our kids just feel down for no reason. We let them cut school and do something fun. And plenty of other parents do it, too—a recent survey found that 56% of parents have let their tween or teen take a mental health day.

But it might not really be helping our kids. This interesting article makes some observations worth thinking about before letting your kid play hooky:

• If your kid wants to skip because they’re anxious, it’s worth noting: The evidence suggests controlled exposure to what they fear is what helps kids get over scary things.

• Is letting your child stay home signaling to them that you think they can’t handle whatever’s scaring them?

• Allowing a depressed kid to stay home and scroll social media all day probably won’t make them feel a whole lot better.

It’s a complicated parenting call (aren’t they all?). The jury is still out, but we’re curious:

What to Know About Apple’s Newest Tech

Are your kids using Apple’s new Journal app? Probably a good call to figure out the answer. Because the new tech allows users (read: teens) to make private entries with text and photos (read: lock their parents out). It’s automatically installed on iPhones, and there are no built-in parental controls.

Here’s what to do to protect your kids, according to tech protections resource Bark:

• Get full access to the Journal app (including FaceID).

• Have an honest convo with your child about what kind of content is and isn’t appropriate to store in an app like Journal.

• Check the app regularly.

How to Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself

It’s easy to lose yourself as a parent. You forget who you are when your kids constantly need you. You create a new sense of self rooted in being a parent. And then you (probably) lose yourself again when your kids start to need you less.

Sound like you? You need this episode: Dr. Morgan Cutlip, a PhD and highly sought after relationship expert, walks us through why we lose ourselves and how to find ourselves again.

Check out the episode here on The Common Parent, our community for parents doing their best.

What Makes Kids Quit Sports?

Have your kids wanted to quit sports? New data might suggest why:

• Injuries, overtraining, and burnout are contributing to a high dropout rate in youth sports, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• They found that 70% of kids drop out of organized youth sports by age 13.

• Plus: Nearly 1 in 10 youth athletes experience burnout, and as many as 35% experience overtraining.

So how do you keep sports fun and positive for your kids? Recognize the mental aspects of sports, as Brenley Shapiro shared with our Common Parent members (this episode is packed with parenting tools—sign up here to access the episode if you’re not already part of The Common Parent).

The perfect recs to get on the right track. Because even though January is nearly over, it’s still a new year…and you can make positive changes if that’s your vibe!

• The Pivot by Robin Arzón (Peloton lovers know her well) is such a fun newsletter to get recs on leveling up, finding your path, and doing things on purpose…especially as a mom.

• Honestly…meal prepping does make a big difference. Here are some fun tools to make it easier for your family.

• We’re big fans of journaling (we launched our own journal to connect you and your tweens!), so we love reading about how to encourage gratitude journaling for kids.

• The quickest way to improve your family’s mental health? Surprisingly easy.