As a family & with anxiety.

Well 2020 is just brilliant so far isn’t it? I’ve never wished for a fastforward button more than I have right now and I really wish we could just wake up and realise that we’ve all been living the same nightmare. I think it’s super important to remember that not just as parents but as human beings this day in age we are all in the same boat right now, up shit creek without a paddle. We’re living through something that none of us have been through before so none of us will have the answers and we’re all learning as we go along.

I’m the first one to admit I love sending Lily to school, but I long for the school holidays as I crave family time and memory making, but to us school holidays don’t mean being stuck within our home. The thing that is paramount for me to remember above everything whilst we’re going through this pandemic is….. my mental health. I feel like if my mental health is taken care of then so is everything else, it’s that simple. I’d got so consumed by the news it frazzled my brain so finding the balance between being a responsible parent/adult by reading the news and keeping up to date with the developments of COVID-19 and limiting how much news/media I invest in was key to me, and since finding that balance (for now) I feel much better and more positive. Also as always self care for me is vital, when the first case of Coronavirus was confirmed in our area one of the first thing I did believe it or not wasn’t bulk buying toilet roll or pasta but it was buying a few books that I’d been meaning to for a while as for me self care is getting lost in a book.

So for me, everything stems from my mental wellbeing, if I’m in a healthy state of mind then I’m able to rationalise my thoughts and plans, which leads me on to the teaching from home that the majority of schools have put in place for our children. I wanted to mention this because there’s already enough anxiety and worry in the air without the stress of wondering whether or not we are doing enough for our children education wise and the truth is that our children will probably remember this time as the most amazing time spent together as a family regardless of what we choose to do in doors whether it be reading, writing, maths, playing in the garden or stuffing their faces whilst watching a movie. Don’t let what you see others doing with their children put pressure on you and tarnish the time you spend with yours. Although it be through scary and uncertain circumstances we don’t get this amount of time with our school age children usually so all that really matters is that we make the most of it.

So how much are our children asking about Coronavirus and how much are we telling them? one thing I’ve found is that we can’t control what our children hear in the school playground ultimately meaning they come home asking questions and more often than not Lil’s caught me off guard meaning I’ve been backed in to a corner having to explain things to her before I’ve really thought it through. School have been brilliant again with Lily as she came home telling us about “catch it, bin it, kill it” with a hand washing routine and telling us that germs are everywhere so the conversation was pretty easy for us, we were guided by Lily really and took the time to find out everything that she already knows. There are some really developmentally appropriate resources that can be found on the internet to tell children not just about germs and viruses but about COVID-19 in particular. However, one question she did ask was “when do I go back to school?” and I didn’t want to fill her with false hope so reassuring her that as soon as we know that we will let her know too was the best thing possible.

From our household to yours at this worryingly uncertain time… stay safe and well.

Lots of love,