PARENTS of children who started secondary school this year have been urged by CEO of Bellevue Hospital Suzette Buchanan to “guard your children’s innocence … as 70 per cent of those at Bellevue speak of trauma in childhood”.

Buchanan further urged parents to remain vigilant and committed as, “children need the presence of their parents”.

She was speaking recently at the 27th annual Back-to-School Awards presentation organised by Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited (MMS) through the MMS Foundation (MMSF), at which the children of the company’s employees entering high school for the first time were recognised for their achievement and presented with gift packages, including school supplies.

Addressing both the students and their parents under the theme, ‘The Journey Continues: Mental Wellness, Building Confidence and Resilience’, Buchanan stressed the importance of mental and physical strength.

“Life will test confidence, resilience, and emotional strength,” said Buchanan as she reminded the parents that the celebration should not only be about the students’ academic achievement but about preparing healthy minds, as secondary school is the beginning of a new journey with many changes.

She cautioned the students to protect their mental health, as a strong future begins with people whose minds are protected.

“There will be excitement but there may also be fear, anxiety, and depressive disorder as there can be pressure to fit in, to perform, and make their parents proud,” argued Buchanan.

She reminded the students that, “Feeling pressure does not mean you are weak … if you feel overwhelmed, say something. If you feel sad for a long time, say something. And if you are being bullied, say something.”

BUCHANAN…our job [as parents] is not only to raise successful children but to raise whole children

She noted that of the 460 patients at the Bellevue Hospital 300 are men, and the suicide rate is 40 per cent higher among men than women.

“Men are not taught to show emotions, as they are expected to be strong,” charged Buchanan as she argued that sometimes, without meaning to, we turn love into pressure.

“Our job [as parents] is not only to raise successful children but to raise whole children. Check the child, not only the grade. Question their feelings, their safety, and whether they are feeling pressured,” urged Buchanan as she noted that while results matter, they are not the child’s identity.

She reminded the group that mental wellness is not the absence of problems; it is having healthy ways to manage them.

According to Buchanan, the greatest gift to children is to help them develop the confidence to try, the resilience to rise, and the safety to say, “I am not okay and I need help.”

Meanwhile, head of the Manpower Group Limited Audrey Stewart-Hinchliffe pointed out that for 27 years the Back-to-School Awards have been a meaningful celebration of academic achievement, perseverance, and the promise of a bright future for children.

“It is deeply fulfilling that each year Manpower can lead an initiative that recognises and encourages the accomplishments of young Jamaicans,” said Stewart-Hinchliffe as she applauded the hard work and dedication of the students, as well as the unwavering support of their families.