Co-Parenting And Coronavirus: Questions And Answers From Child Experts
Coronavirus has been incredibly difficult to face, especially for those of you who are parents. There might be resources out there that can help co-parenting, but there are just so many unknown variables out there that this entire situation becomes quite scary. As parents, we must learn how to keep our anger and frustration under control and teach children how to deal with their emotions during these challenging times as well.
In the end, coronavirus is the perfect opportunity to teach kids how to behave under unexpected circumstances and, in the end, how to look at life as a whole. We cannot control the things that are not ours to command – and children must understand this too. Otherwise, they will grow up to be dependent, unreasonable individuals with whom having a chat is more than difficult. You can avoid that by teaching them the right tricks at the right time. Here are some quick facts and questions that child experts pondered upon.
Q: How can I talk to my kids about COVID-19?
A: There is no easy way to explain to your children what COVID-19 is. However, lying to them is not beneficial either. Keeping an honest, open conversation between you is something worth striving for. However, the Golden Rule is, be willing to open up and be vulnerable. Children appreciate honesty – even if they might sometimes not know it – so here is some quick advice that child experts are advising us to do:
Listen to what your children have to stay. Listen carefully to their questions and understand where they come from. If they have fears, try to understand them and be aware of them. Make sure you offer them support, love, and care before anything else.
Answer their questions as truthfully as possible and ensure that you consider each one of them at a time. Do not overwhelm your children with various answers until you find out what they are really looking for.
If you don’t have the right answers, that is alright. Nobody will judge you for that, especially your kids. Tell them that you do not have the right answer for them; this is a good time to help them develop empathy.
Be supportive. If your children need you, be there for them. Do not treat this issue as it is nothing worth mentioning – let them face their fears and help them overcome these fears gently. Be there for them, show how much you support them!
Q: How can I keep a positive environment in such moments?
A: The first thing you must do is accept the fact that you might not be able to always maintain a positive environment. There might be times when this is way too difficult to accomplish – and that is fine. This moment was bound to come, so here it is now. Coronavirus has taught us important life lessons, but one of the most essential ones is, “it’s okay to be vulnerable.” You don’t always have to have the answer. However, here are some ideas on how to calm things down when they’d rather go south:
Use positive words when describing the facts. Also, use positive words when giving out commands. Use “Get your feet down the table” instead of “DON’T put your feet on the table.” Positive ideas create positive mindsets, which in turn, create positive outcomes.
Try to keep yourself calm at all times. Becoming vulnerable to anger or frustration is okay as long as you are dealing with yourself or your spouse. However, when it comes to children, you must understand that they are as you show them tobe. If you will be continuously anxious and depressed, you will send that out to them quickly and surely. Instead, if you keep a positive mindset and affect, you might be astonished by the positive results that you might get out of this situation.
“Tell them how proud you are,” writes assignment writing help coordinator, Jana Johnson. Children have been dealing with this situation so well, so we must learn how to praise them accordingly. Many of them need parents to help them figure things out but, after they get that initial comfort, they become unbreakable. I’ve seen that in my children – they took Coronavirus as an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser. And I thank them every single day for this. They are powerful and beautiful, and we should deliver this loving message to them because they deserve it.
Make sure your children have enough friends to communicate with during these challenging times. If they cannot see anybody, they should at least be able to Facetime or Zoom them. Ensure that your child continues to talk with his or her friends. Social isolation is not indicated during these tough times. You are important, but so are their friends.
Q: What do I do when children misbehave?
A: What do you mean what do you do? You must do what you normally do! Keeping things as normal as possible is indicated in these situations, so make sure that you continue to act as a parent. However, you and your children will be stuck together at home for a longer period of time, so here are some quick recommendations on how to make things right:
Take a break. Maybe your children are having too much of a noisy party at home and need to be calmed down. The easiest way to do that is by taking a break. If they become too agitated and disturbing, offer them a 10-minute break in which they can do whatever they want. They could scream, run, jump, cry, anything! Tell them that you will act like you are not at home during these ten minutes so they can take over and express themselves according to their needs. I am telling you – this works.
Try to understand where they are coming from by opening up further conversations. Even if we think we talk to our kids enough, maybe we don’t realize how much more attention they need from us. Many times, they are not aware of what they need, so it is always right to ask them how they are. This will calm them down in a hot second.
Take care of yourself. You will not be able to take care of your children if you do not take care of yourself first. Make sure that you connect with your friends as well, talk constantly to your family, and keep negative things such as drinking or smoking out of your sight.
Q: How can we bond during these terrifying times?
A: There are many cool things that you have time to do now, that it is hard to pick. You could, for instance:
Have your children write letters to “Summer Santa.” Tell them Santa is coming twice this year because they have been so good in dealing with the virus. Tell them that determined, good kids get what they desire. Tell them that they become anything they want for Santa! Offer them that empowerment.
Teach your children how to play an instrument! If you don’t know how to either, learn by their side. Then rock your house with cool concerts!
Have Zoom parties or dinners or attend concerts! There are just so many things happening on Zoom right now.
Do puzzles and play chess – make sure you engage them in intellectual activity.
Do crafts and play cards! Have the best fun of all.
Teach your children basic skills such as cooking or cleaning.
Conclusion
There are many things that can be quickly learned and achieved during these times. Also, there are multiple methods that can help you and your kids cope with the virus efficiently. The most important thing is to stay sane and positive, and never forget to smile. You guys got this!
Author Bio: Tiffany Harper is a journalist and a freelance writer, who consults dissertation writing services. Her work on human psychology has helped her to develop in the social and self-improvement areas. Tiffany is currently working on her own book for divorcing parents. Please do not hesitate to contact her on twitter.