End-of-school pain, pediatrician ‘no vitamins but good sleep and good rhythms’

There is no need for vitamins, supplements or miracle remedies against the ‘listlessness’ and tiredness at the end of school which, in these last weeks of the school year, is observed in many children and teenagers. Many people seem to struggle more to get up in the morning and concentrate on their homework. “They are definitely a little tired and it is more of a mental tiredness than a physical one, because in general they have many more ‘final’ commitments, for school, but also for the other activities followed during the year.” For them the recipe is: “Good sleep, good organisation, good nutrition, regular rhythms and support at home”, explains Rino Agostiniani, national councilor of the Italian Society of Paediatrics (Sip), to Adnkronos Salute, who above all advises parents at this stage I listen. “Many of the children’s difficulties – he underlines – can also be linked to anxieties about school that they are unable to express. We need to support them by avoiding the typical reproach ‘you should have thought about it before’, ‘you should have studied during the year’, which is not useful at the moment There will be time to explain to them the importance of organization and commitment.”

Parents, on the other hand, can help “by promoting daily ‘hygiene of life’, in short, a positive lifestyle. From a healthier diet to good sleep, to the organization of activities in which the parent can help , suggesting without imposing. For the rest – continues Agostiniani – what we must remember is that kids need examples and not pills: you can’t tell them that they shouldn’t chat all day if they always see their parents with their cell phones in hand”. Cell phones which should instead be avoided before going to bed and should not be kept on the bedside table, to promote good sleep without interference from sounds and lights. Regarding nutrition, there are no special recipes to ‘support’ children and teenagers at this time, but common sense advice: “We need to avoid a disordered diet, prefer fruit and vegetables, avoid excessively fatty and processed foods and excess of sugary or carbonated drinks”.

“Words are also important. You need to talk often with boys and girls”, recommends the pediatrician. “Many times it’s tiring – he admits – difficult. The right methods must be found. Let’s take into account that the ‘tiredness’ we see in kids at this time of year can also be linked to expectations regarding the end of the school year, for a that they care about or for fear of taking on debt.” In the latter case the parent can help them by trying “to motivate them to commit themselves”. But without exasperation, because “we grow on mistakes and frustrations. If something doesn’t go right, we will take note of it and try to encourage the boy to understand where he went wrong. To then be able to do things better successive times”.