Do children get depressed or are they just growing up?

[Itcouldhappentoanymum]

Or are they just seeing the world through more adult eyes. Aged 10 DS went from being a funny bubbly chatty boy - to quiet thoughtful easily tearful in the space of a very traumatic year - I know he was sad but is that the same thing? Or is it just because he is no longer a young child now and they all change that way when they start to work out what the world is really like?

Your post rang a bell with me, I remember feeling depressed for years as an older child/young teen although I didn't have a traumatic year to contend with. I've seen nieces and nephews change from bubbly children to more sober and sometimes surly "tweens".

I agree with you - all else being equal it is natural for children of that age to come to a few sobering conclusions about the world I think. No idea what the best thing to do is - a mix of offering space to talk and focusing and diverting energies in positive directions. If for example he is worried about animals killed for meat then help him investigate vegetarianism, if he wants to sit playing computer games encourage him to learn programming so he can write his own.

If the worries may be rooted in the traumatic year then some support that adresses those particular concerns may be a good idea.

lovely to hear from you..they do grow up don't they but people don't really talk about it. A 7 year old is naturally happy and focused on fun and 10/11 has stuff going on particularly if life has rudely opened their eyes.