With students back in school, parents can stop complaining about their kids’ mental health
“The Radish offers satire and parody as commentary and critique on matters of public interest. No article posted on the Radish should be taken literally or viewed as representing truthful statements of the individuals or organizations which may be mentioned in the articles.”
Image from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
September 14, 2021
When the pandemic struck in March of 2020, parents were able to experience firsthand the damaging psychological effects of barring children from school. With kids back in school, parents can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that student mental health is no longer a concern.
One mother, like many, chose to intervene when she witnessed her poor daughter’s suffering. “Sure, maybe I saw signs of my daughter’s poor mental health, but I really took action once she started bothering me all the time.” As this mother shared, “Normally I get at least 6 hours a day of peace and quiet. During the pandemic, my kids couldn’t leave me alone.” Every time the internet went out or someone complained about not having been fed for several days, the children’s classic elongated shout for “moooommmmm” rang out through the house.
“I knew I had to get my daughter back in school as soon as possible to help my *cough* I mean her sanity.” Like all reasonable parents who have qualms with the school district, these concerned parents directed their anger directly at the school board with letters. The father made sure to include some not-so-passive aggressive comments, reminding the board members that they are spending his tax dollars and they are on the board to serve his child. As he said in one comment, “forcing kids to stay at home is crippling their emotional well-being and causing serious mental health problems.” The closest example this father gave of any symptoms of poor mental health was saying “I can literally see my daughter’s eyes turn zombie-like with every minute she is chained behind her laptop. Worst of all, I had to play outside with my kids,” he added. “I didn’t sign up for this when I decided to have kids.”
At times, this father had to sit through up to six hours of school board meetings waiting to hear whether students would be returning to school. “Focusing on the school board meetings as the only beacon of hope I had to get my kids out of the house was a welcomed distraction from my children’s tantrums,” she said.
Now with kids back in school full time, no parents have had to bring up the importance of student mental health at a school board meeting because it is no longer an issue. With the joy of getting to walk through the high school halls once again, no student will ever experience the stress, anxiety, or depression that they had during online learning.
Sipping a mimosa by herself by the pool at 10:00 a.m. this Tuesday morning, this mother can happily say that her kids’ mental health has never been better.
Roy Rosin • Sep 21, 2021 at 8:40 pm
I’m sorry for Ms. Thir’s loss and by the broader loss across communities. Mental health is a serious issue. Working in health care, I’ve seen the suffering. That being said, I find the comments criticizing the writer and the paper inappropriate and off base. Different people can perceive information differently, but readers should understand it to be a satirical take on parents wanting their kids back in school. The writer is not dismissive of mental health. This is satire, and as such, requires thinking about the point the author is making. Calling it ‘callous’ or ‘in very poor taste…used to mock people who suffered…’ means you missed the point. Ms Thir suffered trauma I hope people never experience. Readers have every right to dislike any article. But to turn around and accuse a high school journalist, who is a good person who wouldn’t mock mental illness, of asserting parents cause these issues or mocking people who suffered means you didn’t read the article carefully and are offering a flawed critique. The followup comments, while possibly attempting to be empathetic, repeat the lack of critical thinking about the author’s position and motives, resulting in improper attacks on her and the paper.
Gale Morrison • Sep 21, 2021 at 10:04 am
This article is in very poor taste and should be removed. District resources should not be used to mock the many people who suffered mentally and emotionally during the pandemic.
Gale Morrison
Carol Sulcoski • Sep 21, 2021 at 9:48 am
I applaud the staff of the Radnorite for starting a conversation about the importance of mental health issues. We need to speak openly & frankly about mental health and we need to recognize its symptoms at all phases of our loved ones’ lives. The satire reminds us that mental health problems continue whether students are in or out of school. I’ve spent nights sitting awake by my child’s bedside for fear they would self-harm, so I know whereof I speak. I am also proud that RHS has familiarized its students with the concept of Swiftian satire — well done, RHS teachers.
Kelly Martin • Sep 18, 2021 at 2:17 pm
Ms. Thir,
I am so sorry for your loss. It’s been an indescribably horrific time for the Downingtown community certainly compounded by the loss of your husband. I am so sorry. I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the callous and hurtful attempt at humor printed here in Radnor High School’s paper. Most of our community strives to be compassionate and empathetic especially when it comes to mental health. So many in the community are or are experiencing a loved one who is struggling at this very moment. There is nothing humorous about it.
I will keep you and your family in my prayers, and hope the Radnorite staff never know this type of loss but someday come to understand the damage one can do by making light of and isolating a person who is suffering.
I hope the Radnorite removes this harmful piece and works to unite, not divide, our community in the future.
Regards,
Kelly Martin
Maureen thir • Sep 14, 2021 at 11:55 pm
This is quite possibly the most horrific post I have seen this past 18 months. Mental health is real and it’s not because parents are having mimosas at 10 am. I am a Downingtown parent who lost her husband to suicide last July. I am raising 5 children alone who dealt with a teacher and 4 classmates who also chose this option. This did not occur because parents did not want to play catch in the back yard or needed 6 hours away from their kids. It happen ened because people are struggling. Isolation and shaming only increased the struggling in our community. I am horrrified that you, as a respected district, would allow posts like this to be public. You must know what’s going on in your neighboring districts. I beg you to please take care of your parents and children struggling with mental health. I beg you to realize your parents are worried about their children’s mental health and not about a morning drink. I pray that you realize glorifying posts like this only isolates those that are struggling. I pray that you as a district do not have to experience what Downingtown families had to..
theradnorite • Sep 17, 2021 at 9:01 pm
Ms. Thir,
Thank you for expressing your concerns in our comment section. Though each article published in the Radnorite represents only the perspective of the individual writer, as a staff we collectively agree that mental health is a serious concern, and we recognize the indescribable harm that suicide has caused for too many families. The Radish offers satire and parody as commentary and critique on matters of public interest, and no article posted on the Radish should be taken literally or viewed as representing truthful statements of the individuals or organizations which may be mentioned in the articles. In our non-satirical sections, writers have written about the importance of mental health. Here is one such article: https://radnorite.com/5054/opinion/mental-health-in-2020/.
Sincerely,
The Radnorite Staff