September 4, 2025 • 6 mins
Executive Director of be nice, the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan Christy Buck joins us to discuss kids and mental health as we begin the school year.
More information can be found here: https://www.benice.org/
More information can be found here: https://www.benice.org/
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And this is West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and
Brett Keita. That's Lauren Smith back in studio with us.
The executive director of Be Nice, Christy Buck. Always great
to see you. Thanks for coming in today.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning, it's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
We have to touch on. You have the world's most
famous granddaughter. Hold on to that. We'll get to it.
You have seen her on television, we'll tell you how.
But First to School is back underway. We've talked about
be Nice for a long time. What are parents', grandparents',
aunts and uncles looking for? We want to know that
after a couple of weeks, our child is beginning to socialize,
(00:35):
to integrate with a group. Let's try to head something
off before we get to some trouble.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Right And I just love to give this info that
you're looking for what's typical and not typical in your kid.
If suddenly your child begins to think, act and feel
differently and they're expressing this, they may be showing this
maybe more anger with drying following behind in school already.
Some kids have been back to school for three weeks already,
(01:04):
and we know that crunch time happens in the month
of September, you didn't get the good study habits right away, whatever,
and suddenly you're taking tests at the beginning of October.
Your grades are coming out by the end of October, right,
and that's what's going on. Suddenly you're seeing, you know,
two months into it, that your child is failing in
a class.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
What happened to me?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So right now, having those conversations with your kids, yeah,
it is a reminder to check out that they're doing
their homework, et cetera. But also be looking and asking
questions when they get home from school. Find out how
is your day to day? How was launch? Ask them
those things. How is your playing outside? Because a lot
(01:46):
of middle school kids still play outside, so you know,
be open to really digging in and asking some good questions.
In addition, if your child suddenly is giving up the
things that they love, suddenly they're switching and they don't
want to go out for basketball, and basketball has always
been their sport. They've been on aau, they've done teams
(02:07):
our whole life, and suddenly.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I'm not going to go out for basketball. Well why not?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I just don't want to go out for basketball? Well,
you know what them we're going to find something to
replace it. What else do you want to do? Go
onto the school's website find out the clubs and organizations
that are offered to your child. Being connected socially is
so important for kids' mental health.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Are there keywords maybe you should listen for. I mean,
we have the conversation every day when my son gets home,
and sometimes he says, I had a really happy day today,
And sometimes he'll say, I don't want to talk about
it right now. I just have a lot of feels
that I can't really think about. Are there things we're
looking for in conversations that kids might not even realize
they're giving us a warning signe.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Take it back and you know when we're yeah, fine,
give them a little space for a moment.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Get him back. Tell me about what you meant when
you said what I want to know that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I don't know what that means. Can you help me
to understand? So follow up with some questions. That's pretty big.
So I'm assuming that they're doing some social emotional learning.
That's big stuff, and that's such a transition for parents,
for us that didn't have that when we were in elementary.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Right we weren't asked how you feel in today? And
this is really good stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
And having kids be self aware starts at a young age,
so then they're prepared. When they're in middle school, all
of a sudden, they can identify why I am so
angry right now, I'm so frustrated. Tell me more about
your frustration. What was frustrating today? Was that a person?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Was that a thing?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Was it a classroom? This is your opportunity, man, because
we're going to have and I love it right now,
socially healthy kids. When they get to college, they'll know
the kids I want to hang around with the situation
I don't feel comfortable in.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I'm not going to go there.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
And that's really important because that's where we cave in sometimes,
especially in high school, to your peer pressure. Like you
know what, I'm not feeling good right now? WHOA, that's huge.
I want to get out of this situation where I
am right now.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Christy.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Two things I'm excited about. One is the fact of
school district addressing cell phones at school. I think that's
going to help huge as far as kids and anxiety
and everything that's going on. And the second thing is
as your kids get older to take a one step
further on Smitty because her kids are younger. So I've
got a teenager i'm dealing with. I've found that one
(04:39):
on one, if you can talk to them one on one,
not that you don't want to have the group family
discussion too, you get more out of them. It's sort
of like their guard comes more down. Would you agree
with that?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Absolutely, you know, And this is where they're building on
those relationships too, where we're trusting, you know, we can
talk to mom or dad. Great conversations happen with grandparents,
right that one on one, allowing them to have that
space with people that they do feel comfortable talking to,
you know, and don't be offended as a parent if
all of a sudden, you know, your mother in law
(05:12):
knows more information about what's going on on Friday night, writer,
or who's they want to go to prom with or whatever.
But you know, and it's always, you know, we know
this in an automobile, in a car, when we're driving somewhere,
have a good conversation. Tell me more about what's going
on at school. Yep, you know, what's a vibe at
your middle school this year? Tell me more, you know,
(05:32):
and be curious, be a parent that doesn't know at all.
Give your kid a chance to explain to you what's
going on, what's the newest, What do you think about this?
What do you think about you know what's going on
in the news. If they know what's going on in
the news, allowing them seeing it from a kid's perspective.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Time goes so fast whenever you come in. Christy Buck
is the executive director of Be Nice to the Mental
Health Foundation of West Michigan. We will put a link
by the way to find out more information about be
Nice in that organization, and then go back and listen
to the podcast of weekend events because the cakewalk is
this weekend. To help Christy Buck, thank you so much
for coming in.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, I will see y'all Saturday.
And this is West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and
Brett Keita. That's Lauren Smith back in studio with us.
The executive director of Be Nice, Christy Buck. Always great
to see you. Thanks for coming in today.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning, it's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
We have to touch on. You have the world's most
famous granddaughter. Hold on to that. We'll get to it.
You have seen her on television, we'll tell you how.
But First to School is back underway. We've talked about
be Nice for a long time. What are parents', grandparents',
aunts and uncles looking for? We want to know that
after a couple of weeks, our child is beginning to socialize,
(00:35):
to integrate with a group. Let's try to head something
off before we get to some trouble.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Right And I just love to give this info that
you're looking for what's typical and not typical in your kid.
If suddenly your child begins to think, act and feel
differently and they're expressing this, they may be showing this
maybe more anger with drying following behind in school already.
Some kids have been back to school for three weeks already,
(01:04):
and we know that crunch time happens in the month
of September, you didn't get the good study habits right away, whatever,
and suddenly you're taking tests at the beginning of October.
Your grades are coming out by the end of October, right,
and that's what's going on. Suddenly you're seeing, you know,
two months into it, that your child is failing in
a class.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
What happened to me?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So right now, having those conversations with your kids, yeah,
it is a reminder to check out that they're doing
their homework, et cetera. But also be looking and asking
questions when they get home from school. Find out how
is your day to day? How was launch? Ask them
those things. How is your playing outside? Because a lot
(01:46):
of middle school kids still play outside, so you know,
be open to really digging in and asking some good questions.
In addition, if your child suddenly is giving up the
things that they love, suddenly they're switching and they don't
want to go out for basketball, and basketball has always
been their sport. They've been on aau, they've done teams
(02:07):
our whole life, and suddenly.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I'm not going to go out for basketball. Well why not?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I just don't want to go out for basketball? Well,
you know what them we're going to find something to
replace it. What else do you want to do? Go
onto the school's website find out the clubs and organizations
that are offered to your child. Being connected socially is
so important for kids' mental health.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Are there keywords maybe you should listen for. I mean,
we have the conversation every day when my son gets home,
and sometimes he says, I had a really happy day today,
And sometimes he'll say, I don't want to talk about
it right now. I just have a lot of feels
that I can't really think about. Are there things we're
looking for in conversations that kids might not even realize
they're giving us a warning signe.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Take it back and you know when we're yeah, fine,
give them a little space for a moment.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Get him back. Tell me about what you meant when
you said what I want to know that.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I don't know what that means. Can you help me
to understand? So follow up with some questions. That's pretty big.
So I'm assuming that they're doing some social emotional learning.
That's big stuff, and that's such a transition for parents,
for us that didn't have that when we were in elementary.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Right we weren't asked how you feel in today? And
this is really good stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
And having kids be self aware starts at a young age,
so then they're prepared. When they're in middle school, all
of a sudden, they can identify why I am so
angry right now, I'm so frustrated. Tell me more about
your frustration. What was frustrating today? Was that a person?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Was that a thing?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Was it a classroom? This is your opportunity, man, because
we're going to have and I love it right now,
socially healthy kids. When they get to college, they'll know
the kids I want to hang around with the situation
I don't feel comfortable in.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I'm not going to go there.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
And that's really important because that's where we cave in sometimes,
especially in high school, to your peer pressure. Like you
know what, I'm not feeling good right now? WHOA, that's huge.
I want to get out of this situation where I
am right now.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Christy.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Two things I'm excited about. One is the fact of
school district addressing cell phones at school. I think that's
going to help huge as far as kids and anxiety
and everything that's going on. And the second thing is
as your kids get older to take a one step
further on Smitty because her kids are younger. So I've
got a teenager i'm dealing with. I've found that one
(04:39):
on one, if you can talk to them one on one,
not that you don't want to have the group family
discussion too, you get more out of them. It's sort
of like their guard comes more down. Would you agree
with that?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Absolutely, you know, And this is where they're building on
those relationships too, where we're trusting, you know, we can
talk to mom or dad. Great conversations happen with grandparents,
right that one on one, allowing them to have that
space with people that they do feel comfortable talking to,
you know, and don't be offended as a parent if
all of a sudden, you know, your mother in law
(05:12):
knows more information about what's going on on Friday night, writer,
or who's they want to go to prom with or whatever.
But you know, and it's always, you know, we know
this in an automobile, in a car, when we're driving somewhere,
have a good conversation. Tell me more about what's going
on at school. Yep, you know, what's a vibe at
your middle school this year? Tell me more, you know,
(05:32):
and be curious, be a parent that doesn't know at all.
Give your kid a chance to explain to you what's
going on, what's the newest, What do you think about this?
What do you think about you know what's going on
in the news. If they know what's going on in
the news, allowing them seeing it from a kid's perspective.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Time goes so fast whenever you come in. Christy Buck
is the executive director of Be Nice to the Mental
Health Foundation of West Michigan. We will put a link
by the way to find out more information about be
Nice in that organization, and then go back and listen
to the podcast of weekend events because the cakewalk is
this weekend. To help Christy Buck, thank you so much
for coming in.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, I will see y'all Saturday.
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