A psychiatrist's guide to your child's emotional well-being.

Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Many parents spend time teaching their kids essential skills like reading or spelling but they often forget to teach them a key skill that will determine their success, their relationships, and their overall happiness. That is emotional regulation. 

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo talks to Dr Ong Say How, a child and adolescent psychiatrist. He’s the chairperson of creative services and youth committee at SAMH and a senior consultant psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health. 

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:49 What exactly is emotional regulation? 

6:40 Signs that a child might be struggling emotionally 

11:14 It’s ok to tell your children that you’re concerned about them

15:00 Screen time limits can help with a child’s ability to handle boredom and regulate mood

20:51 Parents must be role models

22:24 What parents can do to repair the damage after losing their cool? 

24:13 You don’t have to shield your child from negative feelings 

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

Host: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#healthcheck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.