All of us secretly battle some dark secret behind closed doors. Be it depression, stress, anxiety, physical abuse or even a disease, when no one can see what they are, it makes people inconsiderate and difficult to help which is why some children across the USA were seen sporting a trend. It was that of a tiny heart on a child’s wrist.
If you happen to see a child with a heart symbol drawn on their wrist, there is a special significance to it. It isn’t just a fad but something more meaningful than you could ever imagine.
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The heart symbol on the wrist of a child was the brainchild of one mother who started the trend which soon became viral. It wasn’t just an important message conveyed through her son; it meant protecting the lives of many children.
Liz Petrone’s son suffered from anxiety and one day she posted on facebook a photo of her son’s wrist with the heart symbol drawn on it. Liz is a journalist and a mom of four who also runs her own website lizpetrone.com. Liz blogs about personal things in life including her children, from their high points and happiness to their low points, fears and anxieties.
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Liz spoke about her own fight with postpartum depression where she titled an article saying “let’s talk about postpartum depression please”. She described her emotional health right after the birth of her third child. Her article speaks about the importance of National postpartum depression awareness month which was targeted at fighting the stigma that surrounded such emotional issues in society
Liz writes “We need to keep talking, even when we don’t want to, even when it’s unsightly or embarrassing or uncomfortable.”
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In the USA, one in 8 women is at risk or maybe suffering from postpartum depression or anxiety. This usually occurs after the delivery of a child. Liz addresses all women who have suffered a similar condition saying “You are not alone”.
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When Petrone noticed that her youngest child Luca was showing signs of anxiety, she thought of writing about it to make others aware who may be having the same problem at home but had no means to get help. In October last year she described one particular moment in his life that was especially bad for the little guy.
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She mentioned “the anxiety has been strong with the littlest lately. I don’t know why.” She thought that it could be due to the change of season since it became so cold so fast. Everyone knows how bad last winter was. Her son began asking her every morning “mommy, is today Christmas?” Liz would laugh and reply “oh no baby; we have a ways to go.” She thought perhaps it was the anticipation that was making him anxious.
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She described one particular incident how she and Luca was waiting for the school bus which was overdue. Luca was unusually quiet and Petrone tried calming and reassuring him that the bus would soon arrive. The bus did arrive. When the child boarded the bus, Petrone saw him staring through the window and he started to cry even as the bus pulled away. Petrone felt helpless because the bus was already gone before she could do anything. All she could do was stand in the middle of the road with her outstretched hands as if reassuring him. The bus then rounded the corner and drifted away from sight.
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The next morning, as she and Luca waited again for the bus together, Petrone drew a small heart on his wrist after kissing it. She told him. “I want you to look at this heart every time it feels like too much. I want you to look, and I want you to remember that no matter what happens out there someone is here waiting for you to come home. Someone loves you.” Petrone watched him board the bus again. As she stood in the road waiting for him to look up, Luca didn’t. She thought he would cry or maybe wave to her but he did neither, instead the boy looked at his wrist.
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Petrone says that everyone needs to remember that while something like that may not solve the problem, it was a sign of comfort all the same. It helped a child to be reassured. Says Petrone “Maybe it’s not a fix, not by a long shot, but it’s a comfort just the same, and comfort can go a long way when you know someone loves you”
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Before Liz knew it, she was flooded with comments and her post on Facebook attracted huge attention. She had shared her story on the Facebook page “Love what matters” and parents everywhere began to follow suit. They even stared sharing their own emotional stories with her.
Said one woman “Thank you for this. My sweet first grader has a heart so big it cripples her at times. I have had to pick her up from school when it becomes too much,” one mom named Amanda Zapotochny said she was looking forward to trying it with her own child.
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Liz was shocked, stunned and surprised by the remarkable response. She wrote back thanking all the Mammas and Papas who struggle with their anxious ones. Liz wrote “I feel you. Also, I swear these kids are going to change the world with their big hearts. We just gotta get them there,”
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Earlier a mom from the UK Louise Mallet had also been doing the same thing with her little boy max. She called it the “Hug Button”. She says she knew he was feeling anxious in the morning and after a small chat with him, they both got the idea of having a heart each drawn on their wrists and if they pressed it, it would symbolize a hug being sent to either of them.
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Max found huge comfort in his hug button, Louise says. He also returned back from school one day saying “I pressed it for a long time mummy, but I didn’t cry.”
That is the essential reason for the heart on a child’s wrist. A small act can help youngsters overcome their anxiousness to a great extent. All they need is the reassurance and also the thought of it in their little hearts.
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