How to Support Your Kids During COVID
For many people, the coronavirus has brought on feelings of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety, and while nobody is exempt from feeling this way, children and teens often feel these emotions even more strongly as they face unpredictable times ahead both at school and at home. If your teen has been learning from home for a while now and missed out on things like prom and sports events with their friends, they might be feeling a little isolated and alone.
There’s never been a better time than right now to offer your teen support and help them as they need it. Let’s take a look at how to support your kids during the coronavirus.
1. Facilitate Their Learning
Your team has been studying at home for a while now, but now that they are beginning to ease restrictions on learning in person, they might be getting ready to go back to school. They might also be at a point in their schooling where they are set to head off to college.
However, it’s been a pretty tumultuous time, and that part-time job that they juggled with school before March is no longer an option. While you may not have the financial means to pay their way through school, there are other ways that you can support them. One is to make sure that they have reliable transport so that they can get to college every day without a hitch. Consider a car title transfer so that they can take on a little bit of responsibility and be supported as they begin this new chapter of their life.
2. Offer up a Routine
If your teen is still at home with you for a couple more years, one great way to support them is to try to stick to her routine as often as possible. When it feels like the world around them is caving in, it’s nice to have a sense of predictability in their home environment.
Whether your teen as someone who naturally goes with the flow or likes to know what’s ahead, fostering a stable home environment where tomorrow is somewhat predictable can go a long way. This is especially helpful if they are feeling anxious or stressed about the current situation. It’s even worth asking your teen what kind of routine is going to work best for them so that they can be involved in the process. You may also want to consider incorporating regular COVID tests into the family’s routine. A same day PCR COVID test in Dallas can identify if someone is sick, whether or not they have symptoms, so you can quickly take steps to protect those around you. Appointments take place at home, which may be comforting to teens who want to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19 or other viruses at a clinic.
3. Allow Them to Feel Their Emotions
We all know that emotions can be hard to deal with sometimes, and it’s tempting to avoid them, especially if you’re trying to stay optimistic for your teen. However, there’s a good chance that they will be feeling disappointed about everything from the school being closed to not being able to see their friends just yet, and one of the best things that you can do for them allows them to feel sad about this.
When in doubt about how to deal with your child’s emotions, support and empathy are always the best ways to approach the situation. While they might not open up to you initially, they will certainly appreciate knowing that you have their back no matter what.
4. Create Distractions
While there’s nothing wrong with allowing your teen’s emotions to be felt, there’s also a time and place to create welcome distractions. If they aren’t ready to talk yet, then getting the family around the dinner table for some much-needed conversation that doesn’t relate to COVID could be just what they need.
You can also try having a family game night twice a week, or get them involved in the cooking process. Create a light, easygoing atmosphere where they feel like they can truly relax and not worry about the things on their minds. It’s also worth talking to your team about social media use and discussing what they should and shouldn’t be looking at regarding their mental health.
We’re all in this together, which means that none of us really know what’s going on. That being said, there are ways that we can support one another and our teens through advice like the tips above.
