One Parent’s Perspective: How a Snowstorm Highlighted the Complexity of Youth Mental Health

By Glen Weiner
February 25, 2026

This post is part of the “One Parent’s Perspective” blog series in which I explore topics related to youth mental health and wellbeing. I share my perspective as a parent and in my role leading the Coalition to Empower our Future (CEF), including what I learn from my own experiences as well as conversations with experts, educators and young people themselves.

February is Youth Mental Health Awareness Month, a time set aside to focus our attention on the wellbeing of young people. This year, that focus felt especially personal. In the last few weeks, two major snowstorms rolled through my community, closing schools, cancelling activities and transforming our neighborhood into a landscape of towering drifts and icy roads. For my kids, it was both magical and unsettling. Watching them navigate those few days reinforced for me just how many different factors shape youth mental health and how rarely any single explanation tells the whole story.

At first, the storm felt like an unexpected reprieve. School was cancelled. Practices were postponed. The usual rush of alarms, backpacks and carpools gave way to a slower rhythm. But soon the novelty began to wear off. My kids started to get antsy to see friends. They worried about rescheduled plans and shifting group dynamics. They wondered who was sledding with whom and whether they were being left out of impromptu gatherings.

The isolation, although short compared to what kids experienced during the pandemic,  was subtle but real. Adolescence is a time when friendships are central, and even a short period of physical separation can feel amplified. Group chats buzzed as they tried to coordinate plans once roads cleared. I watched them toggle between excitement and anxiety, thrilled at the possibility of seeing friends, stressed about navigating overlapping invitations and unspoken social hierarchies.

And then, amid the swirl of messages and shifting plans, something else happened: My kids went outside. They bundled up in layers to brave the wind and plummeting temperatures. Next thing I know, my daughter and her friends have dug an elaborate tunnel through a giant snow pile at the corner of our property. Working together, they engineered an impressive passageway and emerged covered in snow and laughter. Their accomplishment was made possible by teamwork, imagination and the simple joy of play.

When they came inside, exhausted and exhilarated, I was struck by the contrast. In the span of just a few days, they had experienced isolation, social stress, unstructured outdoor play and genuine belonging. Each of those elements influenced their mood and behavior. None of them alone defined their mental health.

That is what Youth Mental Health Awareness Month calls us to remember. The state of kids’ mental health reflects a web of interconnected experiences: peer relationships, family dynamics, academic pressures, community safety, technology use, time outdoors, sleep and nutrition. Focusing on one strand without considering the others risks oversimplifying both problems and solutions.

It is tempting, especially for adults, to pinpoint a single culprit or a quick fix. If only we banned social media or limited phones. If only we added another school program. If only we could shield kids from every stressor. But the snowstorms reminded me that young people live in complex ecosystems. Their wellbeing is shaped by how all these pieces interact. And the consequences of narrowly focusing on only one aspect will be felt by our kids. 

Comprehensive solutions require the same layered thinking. We need open conversations at home so kids feel safe naming loneliness or social stress. Schools and communities must work together to create spaces for connection and belonging. We should expand access to mental health care and address barriers that prevent families from seeking support. We can facilitate outdoor play and give our kids permission to put down their homework and go build snow tunnels (within reason). At the same time, we can teach digital literacy and healthy boundaries to encourage positive technology habits.

Most importantly, we need to listen to youth themselves. They understand the nuances of their social worlds in ways adults often overlook. Their experiences during something as simple as a few days of snow shutdowns can reveal both vulnerabilities and resilience.

As February invites us to raise awareness, the goal should not be to spotlight a single issue, but to widen our lens. Youth mental health is shaped by isolation and connection, by screens and snow tunnels, by stress and joy. If we want to support young people effectively, we must resist easy answers and commit to solutions as dynamic as the lives they are living.

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