✅Let them be children These are exceptional times. Rules that you followed or thought have to be followed and done in a particular way, may not work at present. You need to accept that you have to be fluid and go with the flow right now. Infants and toddlers arguably require the most hands-on care and the most attention, but all age groups come with their own challenges for working parents.
✅Give them freedom Sounds odd but let your children do things they have never done before. Give them the freedom to be themselves. Even little ones are always bound by regulations. Exceptional times call for exceptional measure. Sometimes give them the freedom to choose play over work. We all have enough time in the day to do everthing we like. No one’s going anywhere. The kids might as well enjoy it even if the adults are hell bent on not.
✅Go easy on them Children don’t know the impact of what happening and we should try and keep it to that. We should allow them to be children instead of constantly reminding them of how difficult the times are. That will involve a little more of screen time, of letting them do things you never allowed before. That’s how you are going to be able to stay sane and allow your children to be children and stay sane as well. Let’s be honest: Spare time is probably going to involve a lot more screens.
✅Don’t force learning Distance learning is a challenge for all age groups. “You’re not a teacher. Unless you already were planning to homeschool your kid, there’s no way to truly adapt to this, Most of our kids have home based learning other than the very little ones. However, no teacher or educator will reprimand a child or parent if the work is not up to mark or not finished in the given time. Everyone knows and understand the times and will definitely not mind if your child was having a bad day and did not feel like studying. Kids go through moods and emotions as well. Allow them to have their bad day and throw those tantrums. Don’t force them to study especially in these unprecedented times. They need that leeway as well.
✅Teens or pre-teens – let them be. They may have just tasted freedom and suddenly they are stuck in the house with people they want to be far away from – their parents. Expecting them to be normal and just go with the flow is not fair. Let them be. Allow them to go through their emotions and deal with them. Be there when they need support but try to avoid getting too perturbed if they don’t want to talk to you or stay locked up . We’ve been there, we know how hard being a young adult is. If you dictate rules and force them to do stuff, they are going to move further away from you so let them be. Their expectations have all crashed. They are dealing with a lot themselves too. “So much of what is central to the teen experience is their social life.
✅Don’t expect to work at your normal capacity “Take the to-do list you had for today and cut it in half, then cut it in half again. There is a big chance that you are going to be less productive during this time. Being proactive with employers and co-workers and setting realistic expectations about what you can accomplish is necessary to prevent misunderstandings down the line. First, figure out what your optimal working hours will be, when you’ll be most available, and how much you think you can get done and then share it with them. Unconventional working hours are probably necessary.
If you need additional support during these exceptional times, click here to book in a free exploratory 15 minute call with me to see how best I can help you.
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