We continue to be on the journey of attempting to recreate normalcy from COVID-19. As we have witnessed the numbers of contracted cases of the virus, helping our kids through this process can be a difficult task. In some ways it is still very frightening and in other ways it is just frustrating with so much messaging and so many variables.
There are several researchers and educators who are publishing articles on this topic. I think many of the suggestions made are common sense and a good guidepost for the process of helping our kids through this pandemic.
Such an article has recently been published in the Child Mind Institute by Juliann Garey who is a journalist, novelist and clinical assistant professor at NYU. Here is the introduction to this article.
Finally! What we’ve been awaiting for months is happening. As cities and regions across the country lift restrictions, we’re no longer cooped up indoors, away from friends and family. We should be immensely relieved, right? And yet, as hard as the quarantine was, reopening is presenting parents and kids with a different set of anxieties and challenges.
As we struggle to make plans for summer, the burden is on parents to decide, without as much clarity as we would like, what activities are safe enough. But that uncertainty is also distressing for many children.
While our experts at the Child Mind Institute are not epidemiologists who can advise you about the virus itself, they can offer advice about helping your child adapt to and prepare for the changes this summer is going to bring.
She follows this introduction with some very reasonable and wise steps to help our kids deal with the insecurities and new realities as they work towards a place of emotional stability in this re-entry time back to a reasonable life particularly during the summer. Here is the link to the rest of the article.
What is most important is that we encourage and maintain a healthy communication process and relationship with our kids while going through this. They need a great deal of safety from their caregivers. That kind of care and support will promote an environment of trust where healthy guidance can be received. This is a time to intensify positive relationships and provide ways for our kids to share their feelings and fears and find consolation and balance in how we respond to them. My hope is that you can consider these tips and take some time to help your kids cope with all the information that is so fearful about this pandemic.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
