Child Health Day 2022
“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see”
Today, Monday October 3, 2022, is proclaimed officially by the President of the United States as Child Health Day, an observation and tradition that has occurred each year since May 18, 1928 (switched to October in 1960).
This picture and poem hung on the wall of my home all throughout childhood.
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there were 43,012,450 youth aged 10-19 in the United States, 13% of the total U.S. population, in 2021. * So, there are 43,012,450 messages, letters, novels, collections, souls and counting, that are in need of…everything.
The CDC** and the Proclamation from the White House*** mentioned the following statistics regarding our children’s mental health.
1 in 6 U.S. children aged 2–8 years (17.4%) had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
15.1% had a major depressive episode.
36.7% had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24.
Mental Health America gives a questionnaire for parents to determine if your child is having emotional, attentional or behavioral difficulties.
The youth questionnaire is for young people ages 11-17 who are concerned about their own Mental health.
The quote by the author Dr. Wess Stafford resonates especially today: “Every child you meet is a divine appointment.” So today, and every day forward, should you have the privilege of meeting a child, a young person, please remember to uplift them, cheer on, stir up, motivate, empower, inspire, and champion. Allow them to leave your presence a little lighter and a lot stronger.
Mistofer Christopher
Virtual Home School Teacher & author of the children’s story “Talk About the Monster”
RESOURCES
Mental Health America
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Psychological Association
American Psychiatric Association
Center for Parent Information and Resources
Kids Mental Health Information Portal
Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
Endnotes
*
* U.S. Census Bureau. (2022, April 5). National Population by Characteristics: 2020-2021. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Single Year of Age and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021. census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-d
etail.html** Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
***A Proclamation on Child Health Day https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/30/a-proclamation-on-child-health-day-2022/