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Anything Mentionable is Manageable

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by
Melanie Pehrson
• Published on • Last modified on
PBS KIDS Utah

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting and less scary.” - Fred Rogers

How do you help your kids share their feelings? Parents, caregivers, and teachers can provide an environment where their children feel free to express their feelings in a safe and supportive place. PBS KIDS for Parents has compiled a landing page of resources to assist in respecting our own and others mental wellness. Articles include Breathing Exercises to Help Calm Young Children, 11 Simple Self-Care Habits for Kids, and On Parenting: It's OK to Need a Break. (I really relate to that last one). 

PBS KIDS for Parents is designed specifically for families striving to make the most of the educational opportunities that arise every day. Sign up for the PBS KIDS newsletter at the bottom of the page to continue to receive PBS KIDS content right to your email.

PBS Learning Media

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PBS Learning Media provides an additional avenue for K-12 education, with ready-made lesson plans and supporting materials for virtually any topic that's on your or your child's mind.

Elmo to teach a strategy to calm down when you or your little one is feeling mad or sad.

Other lessons like Mental Health and Self Care, Suicide Prevention: How Can Schools Help?, and Idris Mitchell: Mysteries of Mental Illness cater to older students, providing a safe space to formulate and facilitate vital discussions around difficult topics pertaining to mental health.

Our hearts are with Uvalde

The PBS Utah Education team expresses our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones to gun violence in Uvalde, Texas this past week. Our hearts are extra tender as adults and children consider how to grapple with challenging emotions and reactions. There is no one right way to respond. 

As parents, events like this feel especially painful because they pierce the notion that we are in control of what our children understand about the hard things in the world. Eric Rasmussen, Ph.D. shared his thoughts in a PBS for Parent article Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories. "When it comes to scary stuff in the news," said Rasmussen, "we can't put a lock and gate on everything." He continues to give pointers from a parent's perspective on what to do when children ask tough questions.

Comforting guidance can also be found with beloved PBS Kids characters like Arthur and Daniel Tiger. They remind us that, as said above, anything mentionable is manageable. Action and resiliency are possible for you and the children in your life. 

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