Parent Letters - English

Chapter 3: Mental and Emotional Health

Parent Letter and Activities
For use with Chapter 3

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Your teen’s health class is currently learning about mental and emotional health. We are defining good mental and emotional health as the ability to accept yourself and others, adapt to and cope with emotions, and deal with the problems and challenges you meet in life.

In exploring the various aspects of mental and emotional health, your teen will consider some important questions, such as: How can my thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors affect the way I feel about myself? How can I express my emotions in healthy ways? What are strategies for dealing with loss?

Such questions about mental and emotional health are challenging for anyone, but they can be especially difficult for teens. These questions are best asked and answered, however, during the sometimes chaotic teen years. It is during this time that young people confront a wide variety of difficult emotional issues for the first time.

To support and extend our classroom work, please set aside some time during the next few weeks to complete one or more of the following activities with your teen:

Volunteer with your teen to help a group or individual in need. Point out that volunteering helps meet the basic emotional need to feel worthwhile.

Watch a movie or television program with your teen. Pay close attention to the emotions expressed by the main characters. Then discuss with your teen whether the characters expressed their emotions in healthy or unhealthy ways.

As always, feel free to engage in other activities you think will support our classroom discussions. Your support of our learning about mental and emotional health is critical. By working together, I am confident we can help your teen continue to develop good mental and emotional health habits.

Sincerely,

Health Teacher