Parenting During COVID-19
A bulleted list to stick up on the fridge.
Posted March 12, 2020 | Reviewed by Matt Huston
My almost-6-year-old marched down the stairs a couple of days ago holding his baby doll. "My baby has coronavirus ," he told me. Then he spiked the (luckily rubber) doll like a football. "So I'm gonna do that to him!"
My 4-year-old is upset that his preschool class trips have been canceled (as of now, the school itself is still open, though that's likely to change soon, as all signs suggest it should ). "And it's all because of the stupid virus," he moped as he got dressed this morning.
Coronavirus. COVID-19. Social distancing. A week ago these were obscure, unknown terms. Now our social media feeds are littered with them. We are being inundated with information. And then inundated again, because things change hour to hour. And as they do, we readjust our schedules, our daily routines, our expectations, our plans. The atmosphere is one of uncomfortable uncertainty at best, sheer terror at worst, and most of the time somewhere in between.
Articles about how to parent right now — how to talk to our kids and help calm their fears — abound. I've read many. Contributed to some. And now I'm writing my own. Why? Because what I haven't seen yet is a bulleted list, a set of short and sweet and pragmatic tips you could print out and hang on your fridge as a reference. And so that's going to be my contribution. For today. Here goes:
Facebook image: TijanaM/Shutterstock
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Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, parenting coach, and author of The Tantrum Survival Guide: Tune In to Your Toddler’s Mind (and Your Own) to Calm the Craziness and Make Family Fun Again.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.