‘You, Me, Us’ offers comfortable way to build trust
Social workers create 52-card deck to help parents, children have transparent conversations about emotions, life difficulties
Published:Thursday | June 19, 2025 | 9:09 PMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer
Ideal parenting in Jamaica is often reflected in the provision of food, shelter, discipline, and education, but social worker Keisha Smith says families are missing the emotional connection that children need.
“You go to school, learn, study a book, come home, help with your siblings, do homework, do your chores, and you have a roof over your head ... . That is what parenting and childhood is, and a lot of it is about providing,” she said. “But I think we neglect the emotional, psychological side of it, and that leads to a lot of the problems that children have when they become adults in society.”
This belief inspired ‘You, Me, Us’, a 52-card deck designed by Smith and her fellow social workers Kai Matthews-Mowatt and Rhonda Morrison. The cards help parents and their children to have transparent conversations about emotions, identity, and difficult life experiences.
Smith, with nearly 20 years of social work experience, believes many mental health and criminal behaviour stem from unresolved childhood trauma.
“Unresolved trauma ... develops into anger issues, and then mental health issues, because they were not resolved,” she said.
However, cultural barriers also prevent Jamaicans from addressing their emotions directly.
“There’s still this association that if you go to therapy, something is wrong with your mind. You are mentally ill. They don’t look at it as needing support.”
PARENTAL BENEFITS
The You, Me, Us cards offer a comfortable way to build trust and understanding with themes ranging from bullying and sexuality to self-esteem and happiness.
Although the cards were designed for family use, Smith emphasises that parents can benefit, too.
“Parents can go through and ask themselves some of these questions ... . I shared it with a friend ... and she said, ‘Keisha, I’ve never asked myself these questions before.’”
The initial testing started with families, educators, and guidance counsellors, with positive feedback. Unfortunately, high production costs still linger.
“We’re trying to get feedback, but one of the major challenges is printing,” Smith said. “There are 52 coloured cards, so it’s costly. It’s almost US$30 to print the pack. In Jamaican dollars, that’s close to $4,000 or $5,000,” Smith said.
The first batch was printed and tested in Grand Cayman. Now based in Jamaica, the team has since initiated pilot testing and is seeking sponsorship to expand their brand regionally and globally.
Additionally, Smith hopes to provide a digital version for wider accessibility as the ladies’ rely only on personal funding and grassroots support.
Smith and her team haves previously hosted online focus groups with psychologists, teachers, and other professionals to fine tune the cards, especially on sensitive topics such as suicide and bullying.
She believes that the cards are especially timely.
“They’re relevant now for the younger generation. Younger parents are getting more aware about issues, and are better at having certain conversations with children and being more open,” Smith said, while acknowledging that the different socio-economic backgrounds have their unique challenges.
CULTURAL SILENCE
However, she said that beyond economic challenges, cultural silence still lingers.
“One of the things that culturally we are not very good at, is that we suffer in silence. Especially parents. Mothers. Whether single or married ... and they dare not say that to their husbands, church people; to nobody.”
She called for a return to community-based parenting, where all adults feel responsible for all children.
“We have this mentality now: ‘I mind my business, I only care about my pickney.’ We all have a responsibility, more so for the children. But the society has far gone above that, because we do not have a collective mindset that children are children and we are all responsible.”
Smith said the lack of collective accountability contributes to widespread behavioural issues.
“We have to get back to that mindset,” she said. “We don’t talk about the hard stuff. But we have to, because that is what makes us into who we are.”
As the creators seek local partners and funding to produce more decks, they remain hopeful that the You, Me, Us cards will be part of a cultural shift in Jamaican parenting, especially one that sees children as emotional beings and not just responsibilities.
“If we can help two, or one, or 10, it is a start,” Smith said. “Change can only start with one.”