It is difficult. In our lifetime, we have never had to close ourselves away from the world, not take our children to school, go on days out, visit our family and friends, or do many things that we took for granted every day.
The coronavirus pandemic is turning the world completely upside down, and no one seems to know quite how to deal with it. For now, getting through the day is more than enough, and if you manage to do that without losing your cool, you get bonus points!
Here, we look at a few things that you can do with your family to help you keep your cool and get you through the days and weeks ahead of us.
Routine
Some parents are sticking to a rigorous homeschooling routine. Other parents are doing the opposite and ultimately going with the flow and leaving the schoolwork for now. There is no right or wrong way to go about it; you know your own kids better than anyone else and how to go about this time with them. For many families, somewhere in the middle is achievable.
Most kids thrive on some kind of routine. That is not to say you have to stick to it by the minute in military precision, but it may be that you all get up, have breakfast, and be dressed by 9 am ready to do a Joe Wickes session on Facebook. It might be that when witching hour starts kicking in, you sit down and do online yoga classes together, to calm everyone down and refocus yourselves.
Having something at a set time gives everyone something to work towards and breaks the day up a bit.
Get the children involved with the housework
Something that many parents are struggling with during the lockdown period is keeping on top of the housework while keeping a gaggle of kids entertained, possibly working from home as well. Don’t worry if your housework skills are not quite up to your usual standards. Sometimes, something has to give, and well, if the mopping doesn’t get one done one day or that pile of washing doesn’t get put away, does it matter, in the grand scheme of things?
What you can do, though, if you are trying to maintain some sort of order, is to get the kids involved. Give them that massive bag of odd socks that you have meant to sort out for months. It means one less job for you at some point, but it might keep them occupied for twenty minutes so you can mop the floor. Older kids could get involved by earning extra pocket money or rewards such as a late night if they help out a bit. Be creative!
Remember that you’re all stressed
As we said above, if some days all you do is get out of bed and keep everyone alive for the day, you have won. It is an incredibly stressful time for even the coolest of people, so don’t sweat the bad days. If you feel like you are losing your cool, stop whatever it is you are doing and do something fun. Dance around the kitchen, snuggle up in front of a TV or do some mindfulness colouring.
Find some space for a time-out
Everyone finds the lack of freedom hard, but for parents whose children are usually at school, it can feel like they never get a break. Having space somewhere in the house that every family member can retreat to for even just a minute can do wonders for resetting one’s self. It is a lot easier if you don’t have younger children, but sometimes, just a minute or two to take a few deep breaths and not have someone at your feet can be enough.
Teach conflict resolution
If there is one thing that is almost guaranteed, it is that at some point, tensions will arise. Having a plan in place to deal with this before it happens is a good idea. Implement a family court, so when members of the household clash and usual tricks don’t seem to be working, you all gather in the living room. Have a prop – maybe a teddy bear, or a ball, and pass it around. Only when you are holding the prop can you speak and air your thoughts and feelings.
The coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented and unpredictable. Having things in place to get you through it will help you to keep your cool with the kids.
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