8 Tips for Navigating Parenting in the Pandemic
Family life for some has never been the best, and the COVID-19 pandemic did not make it any better. Schools being closed, working from home, and maintaining social distance may be challenging for some, but especially for parents. Here are some valuable tips for coping with the needs and expectations of your kids to be the best parent possible under the stress of the pandemic.
Inform your youngster about the circumstances.
Protect from the virus.
Give them time and company.
Have a positive environment during this pandemic.
Let them stay connected with their friends.
Help them prevent or treat mental illness and depression.
Keep them safe online.
Create family harmony.
1. Inform your youngster about the circumstances.
Speak with them. Tell them about the problems that the globe is experiencing. Staying silent will not help much-instead, ask them what they already know. Answer them honestly and think about how much information they can absorb. You are the one who is the most familiar with them.
2. Protect from the virus.
Firstly, teach them how to protect themselves during this COVID-19 pandemic, such as washing their hands for 20 seconds, using sanitizers, and wearing masks while going out (if allowed). In addition, they discuss how to maintain social distance.
Secondly, you should take care of what your child is eating. It is best not to consume uncooked or raw animal products. Raw meat, milk, or animal organs should be handled with caution as part of food safety precautions to avoid cross-contamination.
3. Give them time and company.
We are all already at home. Try to create new routines that might help—spending quality time with the kids and trying to engage them with some fun activities.
Here are some enjoyable activities you may do with your toddlers and teens.
For toddlers:
Sing songs to them or with them.
Play with them.
Read the books and tell them stories.
Teach your children about different types of colors, fruits, and vegetables.
For teenagers:
Discuss the outside world and the future more.
Assist them in their studies.
Do cooking and cleaning a game by doing housework together.
Discuss anything they are interested in, such as music, sports, or makeup.
Exercise daily to maintain their bodies and minds healthy.
Encourage and help them acquire religious knowledge.
4. Have a positive environment during this pandemic.
Staying calm and patient is the key to most things we want in life. Sometimes it is difficult to be calm or patient when the kids and teens are driving you insane. Shouting at your child for not doing their work will make you and your child angry and frustrated, and that is what we do not want to happen. For example, you can say, "Could you tidy your room once you finish whatever you are doing?" instead of "Your room is a shambles. Tidy it."
Here are a few steps to help you relax when you are anxious.
Step 1: Sit comfortably and lift your hands to your sides.
Step 2: Put your hands over and close your eyes.
Step 3: Concentrate on breathing, inhaling, and exhaling in a rhythm.
Another thing that may be done is to praise the children for doing something excellent and encourage them to do it again. It will also reassure them that you are aware of and concerned about them.
5. Let them stay connected with their friends.
Staying connected with friends and family is very important as we cannot go out and meet them physically.
Make video calls and let them spend time with their friends or family.
Allow them to have online movie evenings, game nights, and so on.
Please encourage them to catch up with old friends they lost contact with.
Teenagers, in particular, require the ability to communicate with their peers. Assist your teen in connecting through media, platforms, and other safe distancing methods. You may do this in a group as well!
6. Help them prevent or treat mental illness and depression.
Depression and mental illness have been the most challenging issues nowadays. It is a sensitive topic because people, especially teens, fail to share their thoughts with parents or friends. Moreover, most of the time, parents have no idea that their children suffer from depression. One of the most critical steps we need to take towards this is treating depression and mental illness as real problems.
7. Keep them safe online.
Children and teenagers are spending an increasing amount of time online. Being connected allows them to lessen the impact of COVID-19 and encourages them to go on. However, there are risks and dangers involved.
Internet dangers:
Cyberbullying from strangers is a threat in today's digital world.
Some people target children and teens for sexual harassment on social platforms.
Violence, suicide, and self-harm are very harmful content for teens and children
Some teens are sharing their pictures online.
Some ways to fix tech to protect our children and make the internet a safe place:
Parental control can be set.
The webcam can be covered when not used.
Set rigorous privacy controls on internet apps and games.
Enable safe search on browsers.
They can agree on how long they will have access to the internet.
Spending as little time as possible away from the device. A healthy schedule is required.
Inform children that they should not disclose personal information on the internet to strangers.
8. Create family harmony.
Our children feel more comfortable and cherished when we display peaceful and caring interactions. During these difficult days, positive language, active listening, and understanding contribute to a quiet and joyful family environment.
Here are the ways we serve as role models for our children.
How we speak and act in front of others has a tremendous impact on how they act!
Try to be polite to everyone in the home, people of all ages.
The communication gap among adults in the house can negatively affect our children.
Our children feel more comfortable and valued if we model peaceful, caring interactions.
Using positive language helps.
Family harmony can be encouraged by practicing religious beliefs jointly (if believed) while educating them about it, eating, and cooking together. Furthermore, helping each other with house chores creates family harmony.
To summarize, we all hope that the current Covid-19 crisis will be resolved and that our lives will return to normal, if not better, than before. I hope the tips above are helpful and that you can put them to use.
