I loved many things about this piece. First, it confirms what we already know: this pandemic is hard on our middle and high school students. The author is particularly focused on high school seniors, but being distanced from your friends and your routine, and feeling bored is difficult for most teens and preteens. Seniors are missing out on all of the rituals and not getting closure, but everyone is feeling the strain.Second, I greatly appreciate that he offers practical advice for parents trying to help their kids work through the stress and upheaval. Specifically:
- Listen when they talk to you about the stress, anxiety, and frustration they are feeling, and ask them what you can do to help. "It’s important to validate their feelings during this time, even if they are disappointed and sad. Ask your child how you can support them through this time. It is important to not try and solve their problems when they are upset. Just show compassion, validate, and be present.”
- Maintain calm around your kids, and be a role model for how you would like them to react. If you need to have a freak out, do it privately. Parents are certainly experiencing their own anxieties about work, finances, the possibility of becoming ill, and being stuck at home, but remember - your kids watch what you say and do.
- Keep structure in the days and weeks where you can. I've talked about this in the blog before: structure is important for kids, and for now parents and teachers are going to have to do what they can to provide it. His suggestions: "family meals, workouts, and reasonable 'virtual learning time.'"
- Celebrate the milestones where you can. If prom and graduation are canceled, if you can't have that great last-day-of-class party, come up with another way to honor the occasion. Zoom parties, restaurant take-out, and drive-by parades are just a few ways to creatively highlight those big days.
I hope you will read this article and think about what the pandemic means for the children in your home - mentally, socially, emotionally, and physically. It's tough. Some of them will be okay, but some kids will have a rough time. They are all going to need our help.
You can read the entire piece at:
Until next time,
Ms. Nan
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