With a day at home and the true meaning of these events not quite hitting my boys yet, I found myself returning, again and again, yesterday to social media and the news. While Ben and Nicholas biked and played and caught frogs in the creek, I logged onto Facebook. Truth be told, I'm not a huge social media fan (ignore the fact that I am sharing a blog). However, I kept returning not to get information about the pandemic or to be caught up in the panic, but because of what I found each time I signed-in.
I found good.
I found kindness.
I found people looking out and reaching out and trying to help.
There were donations being collected for local families in need; reminders to check-in on our elderly neighbors; and, calls to be socially conscious, so as to protect the vulnerable. There were friends offering to do groceries for others, colleagues posting ideas to keep the kids busy, and family looking out for one another.
I was reminded of the words of Mr. Rodgers:
The helpers have come out in force and I am so grateful. If ever there was a reminder that we are all in this together, I saw it yesterday.
For many children (and adults) right now, the world is a scary place. For some, COVID-19 will be a traumatic event. As parents, our reaction to this situation will directly impact our children's well-being. The more that parents and adults can communicate that we are coping, the more resilient our children can be. And the better the outcome that creates. Encouraging children to be part of the solution is one way to provide them a little control over, what right now, seems like a chaotic world.
The best part? It's not as hard as it may seem.
First, we need to take care of each other. And that means taking this virus seriously. Parents, take a few minutes to read this post from Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads. Jodi is a high school classmate, absolutely brilliant, and provides a thorough summary of research on the threat of COVID-19, and the steps we can all take to protect each other, especially our most vulnerable citizens.
How to get started? Practice the advice of our health officials.
Social distancing first - John Hopkins University offers this article for grown-ups on the practice of social distancing. Explain to your child, in a developmentally appropriate way, why school is closed, sports teams are suspended and we can't go to the movie theater or local bounce place. We can't promise that they or mom or dad of grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, neighbor won't get sick, but we can promise that we'll all do our part to slow the spread of this illness and protect others. For older children, share this graphic from Dr. Siouxsie Wiles on flattening the curve:
My ten-year-old's review? "That's pretty cool, Mom. If a ton of people pay attention to that, it can save lives."
Wash hands! Could there be an easy way to help kids be part of the solution?? Wash, wash and wash some more. This video for Scholarly Rap shares the importance of handwashing in a kid-friendly way:
For older kids, check out this quick, simple video from the CDC:
For little ones, a song puts the fun in all that time spent at the sink. If you're getting tired of singing The Happy Birthday Song over and over, try washing to the tune of Baby Shark (my boys ran screaming from the room):
And for grown-ups, enjoy this awesomeness (I did show this to Ben and Nicholas and they loved the Bohemian Rhapsody version):
Practice good hygiene. Check out this awesome comic for kids by NPR's Malaka Gharib (print and fold a downloadable version of the comic here.) The rules are pretty simple: Sneeze into your elbow; don't touch your face (no nose picking - eewwww!), stay home if you are sick, and (repeat after me) wash, wash, wash, doo, doo, doo, doo, da, doo!!
Donate to a local food pantry. We've all seen the pictures of bare shelves at the supermarket and we know that many students rely on the breakfast and lunches they receive daily at school. Contact the food pantry in your area to find out the need. For local friends, PV Power Packs will have a bin outside the entrance to PVSD High School on Monday, March 16th from 8-12 p.m. They are in need of non-perishables such as jars of peanut butter and jelly, snack goods, cereal, soup, mac&cheese and ramen noodles. Find out more about donating to Daily Bread Community Food Pantry here or the food pantries in your area here.
How can kids help? Ask them to look through your shelves at home for non-perishable, non-expired items to donate. Have them help you make a grocery list of their favorite items to buy and give. Don't want to go to a grocery store right now? Not a problem...Giant Peapod is offering no-contact delivery right to your door! Or order from Amazon (just watch out for scammers! A 22 oz bottle of bleach cleaner should never cost $35.99).
Another easy way kids can help? Ask your child to write letters and draw pictures to thank all the essential workers still on the job...firefighters, mailmen and women, EMTs, doctors, nurses, electricians, plumbers, mass-transit workers...the list goes on and on. Not only will these sweet notes help to brighten someone's day, but they may also help to keep your child busy for a moment or two. Win-win!!
You could also have your child write an email to their teacher, video-chat with a loved one, and clean their room of forgotten toys and books to donate. They could pick the scent of soap to use in the bathroom, the song of the day for hand-washing, and help to clean all the doorknobs in the house to keep everyone at home healthy (and a way to keep 'em busy!). Even just sending positive thoughts to others is a way to help children feel like they are doing something productive and kind.
Positivity and giving-back are two key ways to help children develop resiliency. We feel good when we help, and teaching kids to look for positivity in every situation (it's there, I promise!) will help their long-term well-being.
While the unknowns are scary, I truly believe that, when all is said and done, we'll remember the goodness, the kindness, and the way that people stepped-up to help each other. Let's help our kids to be part of that.
xo Naomi
Have more ideas for how kids can be part of the solution? Share them in the comments below or on the Facebook post. Let's learn from each other!
I found good.
I found kindness.
I found people looking out and reaching out and trying to help.
There were donations being collected for local families in need; reminders to check-in on our elderly neighbors; and, calls to be socially conscious, so as to protect the vulnerable. There were friends offering to do groceries for others, colleagues posting ideas to keep the kids busy, and family looking out for one another.
I was reminded of the words of Mr. Rodgers:
The helpers have come out in force and I am so grateful. If ever there was a reminder that we are all in this together, I saw it yesterday.
For many children (and adults) right now, the world is a scary place. For some, COVID-19 will be a traumatic event. As parents, our reaction to this situation will directly impact our children's well-being. The more that parents and adults can communicate that we are coping, the more resilient our children can be. And the better the outcome that creates. Encouraging children to be part of the solution is one way to provide them a little control over, what right now, seems like a chaotic world.
The best part? It's not as hard as it may seem.
First, we need to take care of each other. And that means taking this virus seriously. Parents, take a few minutes to read this post from Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads. Jodi is a high school classmate, absolutely brilliant, and provides a thorough summary of research on the threat of COVID-19, and the steps we can all take to protect each other, especially our most vulnerable citizens.
How to get started? Practice the advice of our health officials.
Social distancing first - John Hopkins University offers this article for grown-ups on the practice of social distancing. Explain to your child, in a developmentally appropriate way, why school is closed, sports teams are suspended and we can't go to the movie theater or local bounce place. We can't promise that they or mom or dad of grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, neighbor won't get sick, but we can promise that we'll all do our part to slow the spread of this illness and protect others. For older children, share this graphic from Dr. Siouxsie Wiles on flattening the curve:
My ten-year-old's review? "That's pretty cool, Mom. If a ton of people pay attention to that, it can save lives."
Wash hands! Could there be an easy way to help kids be part of the solution?? Wash, wash and wash some more. This video for Scholarly Rap shares the importance of handwashing in a kid-friendly way:
For older kids, check out this quick, simple video from the CDC:
For little ones, a song puts the fun in all that time spent at the sink. If you're getting tired of singing The Happy Birthday Song over and over, try washing to the tune of Baby Shark (my boys ran screaming from the room):
And for grown-ups, enjoy this awesomeness (I did show this to Ben and Nicholas and they loved the Bohemian Rhapsody version):
Practice good hygiene. Check out this awesome comic for kids by NPR's Malaka Gharib (print and fold a downloadable version of the comic here.) The rules are pretty simple: Sneeze into your elbow; don't touch your face (no nose picking - eewwww!), stay home if you are sick, and (repeat after me) wash, wash, wash, doo, doo, doo, doo, da, doo!!
Donate to a local food pantry. We've all seen the pictures of bare shelves at the supermarket and we know that many students rely on the breakfast and lunches they receive daily at school. Contact the food pantry in your area to find out the need. For local friends, PV Power Packs will have a bin outside the entrance to PVSD High School on Monday, March 16th from 8-12 p.m. They are in need of non-perishables such as jars of peanut butter and jelly, snack goods, cereal, soup, mac&cheese and ramen noodles. Find out more about donating to Daily Bread Community Food Pantry here or the food pantries in your area here.
How can kids help? Ask them to look through your shelves at home for non-perishable, non-expired items to donate. Have them help you make a grocery list of their favorite items to buy and give. Don't want to go to a grocery store right now? Not a problem...Giant Peapod is offering no-contact delivery right to your door! Or order from Amazon (just watch out for scammers! A 22 oz bottle of bleach cleaner should never cost $35.99).
Another easy way kids can help? Ask your child to write letters and draw pictures to thank all the essential workers still on the job...firefighters, mailmen and women, EMTs, doctors, nurses, electricians, plumbers, mass-transit workers...the list goes on and on. Not only will these sweet notes help to brighten someone's day, but they may also help to keep your child busy for a moment or two. Win-win!!
You could also have your child write an email to their teacher, video-chat with a loved one, and clean their room of forgotten toys and books to donate. They could pick the scent of soap to use in the bathroom, the song of the day for hand-washing, and help to clean all the doorknobs in the house to keep everyone at home healthy (and a way to keep 'em busy!). Even just sending positive thoughts to others is a way to help children feel like they are doing something productive and kind.
Positivity and giving-back are two key ways to help children develop resiliency. We feel good when we help, and teaching kids to look for positivity in every situation (it's there, I promise!) will help their long-term well-being.
While the unknowns are scary, I truly believe that, when all is said and done, we'll remember the goodness, the kindness, and the way that people stepped-up to help each other. Let's help our kids to be part of that.
xo Naomi
Have more ideas for how kids can be part of the solution? Share them in the comments below or on the Facebook post. Let's learn from each other!
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