Parents have been cautioned against comparing their children’s academic abilities against others, as doing so can harm their self-esteem, confidence, and overall performance.
Mr. Innocent Funn, the National Clinical Psychologist at SOS Children Village, cautioned that comparing children could lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth, causing them to doubt their abilities and question their value.
Mr. Funn said this in a presentation during a day’s sensitisation programme on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) held by the YAH-Salem Foundation at the Our Lady of Mercy Senior High School (OLAMS) in Tema.
He advised that parents should instead, focus on building their children’s strengths, ignoring their weaknesses, and providing support and encouragement to help them develop resilience and confidence.
He said parents must recognise that every child was unique and had his or her own strengths and abilities, and that comparing them only served to discourage and demotivate them.
The clinical psychologist warned that the effects of comparison could be far-reaching, affecting not only a child’s academic performance but also their behaviour and overall well-being.
Mr Funn emphasised that parents had a critical role to play in promoting their children’s self-esteem and confidence, and that by doing so, they could help their children reach their full potential.
He noted that when children were constantly compared to their peers, they might feel that their efforts were not appreciated, leading to a lack of motivation and decreased self-esteem.
Mr Funn said mental health, which is the well-being and functioning of an individual’s mind, emotions, and behaviour, encompassing various aspects such as emotional, psychological, social, cognitive, and behavioural well-being, was as important as physical health and needed to be protected.
He encouraged the students to practice self-care by exercising regularly, eating healthy regular meals, staying hydrated, and being emotionally intelligent.
He said students should also be engaging in relaxing activities, setting goals and priorities, practicing gratitude, focusing on positivity, staying connected, and questioning their decisions.
Mrs. Mary Adu Sarfo, co-founder of the YAH-Salem Foundation, said that her outfit was looking forward to meeting parents to educate them on their critical role in supporting children’s mental health.
She said that it was necessary because it had been identified that a significant number of challenges faced by children were rooted in parental behaviour and attitudes.
She said this would help raise awareness among parents about the impact of their behaviour, particularly verbal abuse, on their children’s mental well-being.
Miss Zulaiyah Asante, a form three student of OLAMS, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that she had been struggling with self-doubt and fear of failure ahead of writing the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and thanked the foundation for the mental health education programme, which had helped build their confidence.
Other students said they learnt coping strategies, stress management techniques, and how to maintain a healthy work-life balance from the programme.
GNA