• TIPS:  Totally Important Parent Suggestions

    TIPS #1:  We are on the edge because of the coronavirus!  Yes, our lives are not the same and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.  The nonstop news isn’t helping either!

    So what are we as a family to do?   Here are some TIPS for all of us:

    • Model for kids how to react to stress in healthy ways. What our kids learn from this will affect them for a lifetime.  Let’s not share our worries with them.
    • Limit the number of articles /news we read. Make sure our sources of information are reliable.
    • Focus on what we can do:
      • Social distancing
      • Washing hands
      • Keeping counters, tables, and door knobs clean
    • Keep routines or establish new ones to include the following:
      • Exercise
      • Regular meals
      • Get enough sleep.

    As Ira Martin, a mother and a refugee of war, says, “What is most important in the coming weeks is how our children perceive us….Our children must feel very confident and safe.  They are in great shape…as long as they have YOU sane and healthy.”

    TIPS #2:  All of our families, yours and mine, are navigating through this time.  We want our families to be resilient now and when the Coronavirus is finally over.  Here are tips we can use to build our family time:

    • Structure the day.
      • Alternate chores and schoolwork with more fun activities and periods of free time.
      • Make exercise a part of each day; for example riding bikes, taking a walk, etc.
      • Socialize with friends via video chat or other social media if they are on it. We can also talk with each other at home.
    • We need to model calmness.  Avoid giving too much reassurance.  Instead we remind them and ourselves we are taking care of each other.
    • This crisis will provide a learning experience for our children.
    • They will view how well the family came together in this difficult time.
    • Look for the positives. Jerry Bubrick, PhD, a clinical psychologist, recommends looking for the silver linings.  I have noticed since this time of social distancing; my grandchildren are playing outside in the yard as I did in a time before electronic devices.  Their parents have sent pictures of the impromptu play time.  Children are chalk drawing, helping to take care of neighbors, painting old boxes, taking walks and collecting nature’s treasures.  Let’s all look for the silver linings every day in our families’ lives.