Covid-19 brought about a number of different insecurities regarding one’s health. Moreover, some question whether it is safe to send their children to school. In fact, following the easing of restrictions and the opening of schools some parents are still uncomfortable and insecure about sending their children to school. Nevertheless, staying at home with children is not an easy task and some were in fact struggling with coping.
Ways to cope with children being home all day
- Creating a routine – One of the problems with being at home is that children lose their structure and routine. Therefore, one way of improving one’s lifestyle is creating a routine. Be realistic and involve both educational and fun activities which children can do. This would enable them to keep busy and thus give the parents more time for themselves (“Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips to Keep the Calm at Home”, 2020).
- Positivity – one’s outlook on life also influences outcomes. Seeing this time as a time to get to know one’s children better rather than a nuisance is one way to cope better.
- Find something that works – Children of different ages require different amounts of attention. Hence, one needs to find time according to one’s children’s needs. Determine one’s own flexibility to assess one’s ability of giving the attention that the child needs at that particular age.
- Positive discipline – Children experience fear too, which might cause them to act out or be harder to handle. It is important not to engage in physical punishment but reinforcing positive discipline. This could be done by rewarding good behavior, acknowledge success and praise children for trying and make use of time-outs if necessary. Furthermore, it is also important to note whether the child is acting out simply because he/she is bored. In that case resolving the boredom and finding fun activities that they could do would solve the problem (“Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips to Keep the Calm at Home”, 2020).
- Acknowledge their fears – As mentioned above children experience fear too. They can sense their parent’s worries and are experiencing this change in lifestyle too. It is important to give them time to express their concerns and fear in their own language or means. This would enable them to rest their mind and hence would be calmer. Thus as a result, one would be able to be calmer too (“Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips to Keep the Calm at Home”, 2020).
- Involve children – Children especially at a young age enjoy mimicking their parents. Hence having them help with house chores in another way to pass the day. This will help the child feel involved and somewhat important while it gives them some level of independence (McClary, 2016).
If you think that you can benefit from professional support on this issue you can reach out here.
Yasmine Bonnici graduated in Nursing and also completed her Masters in Counselling. She has worked with victims of domestic violence, clients dealing with suicidal ideations, bereavement, separation and anxieties. She is currently working with Willingness Team as a counsellor seeing clients who would like to explore their own identity and deal with any surfacing issues.
References
McClary, R. (2016). Home Alone With Young Kids All Day: 6 Strategies for Success. Retrieved 5 June 2021, from https://www.parentmap.com/article/home-alone-with-kids-all-day-strategies-success
Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips to Keep the Calm at Home. (2020). Retrieved 5 June 2021, from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Parenting-in-a-Pandemic.aspx