Parenting Through the Pandemic

Who would have thought 2020 would have looked like THIS?!?

We’ve all been thrown a curve ball this year; one that has tested our strengths and forced us to grow in ways we didn’t know necessary.  This global pandemic has taken what we have known as “normal” and turned it upside down. We adults are in the midst of overcoming one change after another and our children are sitting on the sidelines experiencing the same.  I remember the day it got real for me:  March 5, 2020.  My 5th grade daughter called me hysterical that her class trip to Disneyland was cancelled because of COVID. There was nothing I could say or do to make her devastation any less. As a mother I felt powerless.

Our children also feel powerless.  They are struggling and have no control, up against something they don’t understand and can’t escape. This pandemic is affecting each child who crosses my path, both personally and professionally, on an emotional level. There’s: fear of family getting sick, confusion of why we can’t go to school, anger that we can’t go to school; loneliness from quarantining; sadness from missing out on life experiences that should be celebrated. All of these feelings and an inability to change the circumstances has led to an increase in despair. In my counseling sessions I am seeing more and more children who are lonely, anxious, depressed, and acting out. 

My prayer for each parent in this season is to connect, engage, and let their children know that it’s okay to feel. That the fear, confusion, anger, loneliness, sadness, and despair are normal, expected, and acceptable.  Now more than ever parents can empathize with the hearts of our little ones because, if we’re honest, we feel it too. I can look into the eyes of my clients through zoom sessions, or my children at home and truly say, “I get you! This is a really hard season!”  

A few pointers from one parent to another:

·      Help your kids focus on what they CAN control.

·      Spend 30 minutes engaging in some one-on-one time every day.

·      Pray for peace of mind in this season that is just too chaotic.

·      Remind your kids that this is JUST a season, and one day life will feel “normal” again.

·      Arrange for your kids to connect with others their age in a healthy, positive, safe way.

·      Reach out to a therapist or school counselor if these feelings are too much for your children to handle alone.

We’re going to get through this – and we’re here at Renewing Life Center to help you!