Something that I’ve noticed amid the events of 2020 is that a lot of us as parents are stressed out.
Our mental strength has been tested, stretched, and worn down. You are not alone.
Sometimes, we experience internal frustration instead of being calm and explaining things normally.
Because of this, we as parents or caregivers may currently find ourselves raising our voices more often.
If our children are having a tantrum, we may need an extra minute to take a moment for ourselves before redirecting our children to another activity.
I have witnessed these responses in my mommy groups, from friends, and in my own household.
We are living in a stressful time.
On top of that, so many parents are nervous about sending their children to school because of this pandemic.
If children are home from school, there is the added pressure of learning from home virtually while parents are also working.
It is obviously very important to stay calm and work through stressful situations, but if you do happen to raise your voice in a moment of frustration, apologize to your child.
Here are some tips:
1. Get on their level. It shows them respect.
2. Look them in the eye. Don’t hold your phone in your hands. Turn off any distractions (e.g. television/tablet).
3. Stay calm. Be genuine. Explain the situation. Tell them how you were feeling when you raised your voice.
4. Let them know you’ll work on it, that you can and will do better.
We always expect our kids to listen, to not shout, and to be respectful to us. We need to show them that we make mistakes too, but that we can learn from them.
At the end of each day, sit your children down and ask if there was something that bothered them from earlier on in the day. For example, perhaps we ignored them by accident at the dinner table while they were telling us a story.
Normalizing talking about these topics will help them cope with problems when they are older.
There is no guide to follow about how to parent during a pandemic. Especially when we are in a lockdown or quarantine.
Just do your best. Love your children. Be kind.
At the end of the day, if they are in a safe, loving environment, they will thrive.
Take a breath. We will get through this!
TKM
***If you are in need of some home activities, I have five fun days full of children’s activities which I will link here.