Yesterday, before the storm swept into the Lamoille Valley, I took my 9 year old for her annual well-child visit. Our pediatrician greeted us warmly and then asked my daughter directly about her health. “Was she eating well? “ “What does she like to do for exercise?” “What questions or concerns did she have?” At first my daughter looked to me for the answers, but both her pedi and I encouraged her to answer for herself.
These moments are important…
Little moments that give our kids the practice to become their own health advocates. My daughter, at age 9, was able to share what she loves doing, learn from her pediatrician some new recipes, and ask questions. She was able to hear what she’s doing right and get some ideas to make wellness more fun.
In these moments our kids practice awareness of their bodies, they put words to their experiences in a safe environment. They learn that it’s natural to have struggles and that there are healthy ways to address those struggles. They can talk about feelings and know that it’s natural to feel sad or angry, but that there’s someone outside of Mom or Dad that they can talk to if they feel sad (depressed) for too long. Throughout the appointment there was a beautiful exchange of information between our doctor and my daughter.
There was also a time where I shared and asked questions. This is good. My daughter needs to know that Mom doesn’t have all the answers and needs help too.
I see this appointment as one of many pieces of my daughter’s substance abuse prevention planning. As a result of yesterday’s visit, my daughter knows that there are people in our community that are interested in her health. She knows that health is important. She’s learning what her body should feel like as she grows and develops. She’s learning to ask questions of her doctor. All these things are positive protective factors and the more of these we can grow in our children, the more likely they will have the skills to avoid alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.