I joined a community dialogue for mothers because a neighbour invited me. I thought it would be about health in general. It turned out to be about our children's minds.
The facilitator described signs that a young person may be struggling: withdrawing, sleeping too much or too little, sudden anger, losing interest in things they used to love. I sat there thinking about my eldest son. I had been calling him lazy and rude for almost a year.
That evening, instead of shouting, I asked him how he was really doing. He was quiet at first. Then he told me about the pressure he was feeling at school and how alone he felt.
I learnt to listen before I correct. We are not perfect, but he talks to me now, and I have told the other mothers in my group to come to the next session.
