A sudden COVID-19 outbreak has changed our lives profoundly. Working from home, school closures, social distancing – this pandemic upended things completely. It’s a lot to handle. Especially for parents.
Because they need to handle these new changes while taking care of their family members. Here we bring a few handy tips for parents to relax their own anxieties and manage this new quarantine phase. With tips like these, parents can keep their kids safe and well-informed during coronavirus disease.
Caregivers Need Care
We, parents, are caregivers. We always take care of our family and want to protect it in any situation. It is obvious that seeing the current COVID-19 crisis you may worry about your family. You want to keep them safe and happy even in such extreme tensions. That’s how parents are!
But do you ever notice your own anxieties and fears? Chances are you feel stressed and still acquire a “put on behavior” of a happy parent. To give the best care you need to take care of yourself first. Relax and enjoy your “ME” time first. Instead of tracking COVID-19 updates enjoy your favorite TV show for a change. Be happy, relaxed and well-balanced.
Reconnect With Your Family
Lockdown is a stressful situation. Being home all the time is not easy. But you can utilize this time to reconnect with your family. A normal routine life hardly gives you any time to spend with family. Plan family dinners with everyone’s favorite dish, movie night to create nostalgic family memories. The quality time you spend with your family is the best treasure of life.
Give your quarantine a playful twist by playing board games with your family. You can plan family fun activities that allow you all to reconnect with each other.
Limit Kids Screen Time
The lockdown situation has increased screen-time like never before. While parents are busy with their office work, kids stay glued to their devices all day long. Excessive screen time may invite many digital dangers.
Apart from that long screen hours deteriorate kids’ mental and physical health. Such kids may suffer from obesity, insomnia, poor vision, etc. Parents should use parental control apps such as Bit Guardian Parental Control to limit their kids’ screen time.
Screen control features like App time limit, Time schedule, App Block, App Install Block and Kiosk Mode restrict kids’ screen usage effectively. Parents also need to anchor kids’ real life so that they don’t crave virtual life any longer.
These smart strategies to avoid kid’s screen time during Coronavirus lockdown will help improve a kid’s overall growth and development.
Keep Following Your Routine
No one likes a routine. It is monotonous and repetitive in nature. But while we are quarantined, we need a fixed temporary routine that can keep us healthy and engaged. Plan a routine that involves regular exercise, fix meal timings and time to finish household chores.
Apart from routine activities, you can also involve entertainment time in your schedule. Add fun and productive things to do at home in your routine to make it more fun and engaging.
Talking About COVID-19 outbreak
Okay, this one is going to be tough not only for parents but also for kids. Once you start implementing a temporary routine and reconnecting with your family, you should talk to them about the COVID-19 outbreak honestly and clearly.
Let your kids know what this disease is and how it spreads. Inform them about a few precautionary measures. Be open and listen to their queries as well. But advise them not to fear about it and stop going through Coronavirus updates on social media. Not all sources are trustworthy.
Do not forget to end the discussion with the assurance that staying home is the best option and your family is safe, provided they follow basic preventive measures.
Staying Away From Frightening-Fake Posts
The best parenting tip to keep kids relaxed during this Coronavirus crisis is to keep them away from all the frightening and fake updates about the disease.
Patents should know how kids feel about this disease and what their fears are. While kids ask questions, observe their mental state and anxiety levels.
While accessing devices kids may come across many social media posts related to Coronavirus outbreak. Educate kids to stay away from fake numbers, news, threats, etc. Make them avoid scary and inauthentic news posts to relax.
Keeping It Positive
It‘s hard to stay positive when the entire world is falling apart. You need to handle your work and listen to kids’ queries and entertain their craziness at the same time. The quarantine will make you feel trapped- but need to act sane!
Discipline your kids with positive words. Involve them in age-appropriate household chores. Encourage reading motivational books. Avoid shouting at your partner and speak in a calm voice.
Your warm gesture and assertive comments will set the atmosphere positive and more productive. Use assertive affirmations to boost the family’s tempo. When the outside world is full of fear and negativity, you must create a warm, nurturing and positive family world at home.
This is a hard time for all of us, accept this fact and implement these parenting tips to keep your kids calm and happy during the lockdown. Also, spare some time for family prayers. As they say, ‘Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death’.
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