Jewel Reveals How She Teaches Her Teenage Son About ‘Mental Health Hygiene’

Jewel, 52, knows firsthand what happens when a child’s emotional needs go unmet, and she’s determined to give her own son a different experience.

Having lived through a chaotic childhood that included a shoplifting addiction and mental health battles, the singer has made transparency with her 15-year-old son, Kase Murray, a top priority, she told Us Weekly for an interview published on Tuesday, September 22.

“We all have brains, and so we all have to learn tools to have good mental hygiene,” the Grammy-nominated singer said. “What we think affects how we feel. That creates biochemical cascades, and that affects our actual body, and it’s this loop.”

“And being able to be aware of that, be responsible for it, and then being able to teach my son about it has been a really wonderful gift,” she continued.

Experts refer to “mental health hygiene” as the everyday habits that help keep our emotional well-being in check. That can look like journaling, savoring small rituals like a morning coffee, protecting your sleep, or setting boundaries to avoid burnout, per Stanford University.

Jewel’s approach to parenting is shaped heavily by her own history. As First For Women previously reported, she’s spoken openly about surviving an abusive household in Alaska and later facing homelessness after relocating to California at just 15. Those experiences taught the “Foolish Games” singer how damaging it is when a child’s emotions are dismissed, but she’s also learned that finding a balance is essential.

“For someone like me whose feelings were never listened to — the tendency is to over-empower our kids’ feelings, which can be just as bad as under-empowering them,” she explained to Us Weekly. “Finding that good middle road where they feel listened to, but where they also still feel responsible for their feelings, is important.”

“It’s been a real joy to be my son’s teacher and friend in life, and teaching him skills to handle his own internal life,” she added.