Mom Giving Her Teenager Mental-Health Days Off School Divides Opinion

Teenagers in the U.S. are going through what experts are calling a "youth mental-health crisis."

Forty-two percent of high-school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless for at least two consecutive weeks in 2021 that they stopped engaging in social activities. This was up from 26 percent from 2009, according to a 10-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

With this in mind, one mother has come up with a unique way of combating stress in her teenage daughter, which has caused some controversy online.

"School can become overwhelming for our kids, just like work becomes overwhelming for me," Chevonne Dixon, 38, a senior program manager from Long Island, New York, told Newsweek. "I take mental-health days at work, and I practice this with my children because I want them to learn to prioritize their mental health."

In a video posted to her TikTok account @thiswellplannedlife six days ago, Dixon says that occasionally she gives her daughter "a day off from school because school is stressful and they need breaks too." Dixon can be seen shopping and going out for lunch with her daughter.

"I give my children day-off coupons to use throughout the school year," said Dixon. "They can use one every other month, or depending on their workload at school, they can take time off as needed.

"Some days, they stay home, play video games, watch movies, go out to lunch, or do a little shopping. It varies based on what kind of day they need," she added.

Dixon said that her daughter Khalani, 13, is an honor student in eighth grade, taking ninth and 10th grade classes, on top of being a girl scout and a cheerleader.

"She has a busy schedule, and a lot is required of her. Schoolwork, practice, teachers, and homework can become stressors for her," Dixon said.

On average, adolescents spend 7.9 hours in extracurricular activities per week, according to a study entitled The Long-Term Effects of Time Use During High School on Positive Development. Adolescents also spend 9.1 hours a week doing homework on average, according to the study.

Dixon said she doesn't fear about any backlash from the school. "I would not be worried because the school does not determine how I parent my children," she added.

Younger generations being more aware of stressors to their mental health are regularly labeled 'snowflakes' by older generations, who believe them to be overly sensitive, or work-shy.

"I love how the younger generation prioritize their mental health," said Dixon. "A lot of trauma older people have in life is from not having the ability to address mental-health issues growing up. I never had days off from school, because my mother thought that children don't need time off, but I struggled as a teenager.

"Listen to your children, pay attention to their moods, and talk to them," Dixon added. "Find out what is going in school, not just schoolwork-wise, but socially. If they seem burned out or out of it, they may need a day to just be. Laying around with nothing being required of them. They are exposed to so much nowadays that stressors can come from many areas."

The tactic seems to be working for Dixon and her daughter. "She absolutely loves our days off together," she said. "She is so happy and full of energy, and she gets to breathe and not have to focus on anything."

The concept of mental-health days split opinion in the comments on Dixon's video.

"That's why we have weekends," was a comment echoed by many viewers on TikTok.

"Ik [I know] this is a good idea, but is this not the point in [school] holidays," posted another user.

"I do this for my daughter. Some mornings you can just feel it on them," wrote a third.

"As a substitute teacher who gets very overwhelmed in middle school I love this!" commented another.

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