14/04/2020
The next few weeks are going to be a huge challenge for parents. Kids at home and work to be done! It’s hard enough getting the washing done, cooking the meals, shopping for groceries and keeping the house in a “liveable” state... let alone have kids doing home schooling!
As a parent, I am feeling a sense of nervous anticipation, Like many working parents I will try to juggle work and education. I’ve had my son home for several weeks before schools closed. We have been doing lots of fun drawing, art, reading, fun maths and science experiments! I’m lucky because I only have one child! I feel for the full time working parents with multiple children. But we are strong! We will cope, we will get through it!
Education has always been the responsibility of parents... even though some people like to think that sending kids to school each day, buying a private education or sending kids to boarding school is a good education... it is not. Schools are merely facilitating learning at best and at worst they are institutionalising kids! I spent years at university and I hate studying! But I absolutely love learning! There is a big difference.
Never before in history have we been in a situation like this. People simplistically like to say that history is repeating itself.... well it is not. Never before have we had a pandemic of this proportion and had so many women and men working full time and being responsible for so many things at once. We are creating history right here, right now.
The average family now has both parents working. Many now are working from home. Now we have parents working from home and kids being educated from home. This presents many challenges.
Schools will be responsible for providing the learning activities, parents will be responsible for implementing the learning!
Below are a few parenting suggestions to remain sane and keep your sense of humour along the way!!
💖 Talk yo your kids openly and honesty about what is going to be happening each day.
💖 Try to establish a good routine. We all function better with structure.
💖 Sleep - the number one factor to a good day. Get back to basics. Good nightly routine, limit screens and read books before bedtime.
💖 Exercise - several times a day in small bursts! Get out, get active!
💖 Good nutrition - healthy snacks and meals. Don’t forget the fruit 🍇 snack or the brain 🧠 food!
💖 Morning routine - get up, get dressed, have breakfast and make bed before 9am.
💖 Read or draw before you login to learning.
💖 login to your schools platform and review the tasks
💖 Get to work! Make an achievable list and take regular breaks!
💖 Be super positive (even if you have to fake it to make it!)
💖 Don’t stress over the set work. Just do what you can!
💖 Try to work in 30-50 minute blocks and check back in with kids. That way parents can get things done too.
💖 Relax about what is set. Teachers are doing the best they can to set meaningful tasks. However this is new for them as well. We are all learning together!
💖 Create a positive attitude and growth mindset when you hit challenges.
💖 Do something fun with your kids each day! Celebrate the job well done!
💖 Enjoy a movie or show at the end of the week and celebrate your success! Popcorn 🍿 and ice cream is a must!
So what do parents do if kids don’t comply to doing the work? Do we punish them? Do we bribe them? What can we do? Pull our hair out? 😆
The trick is positive reinforcement... be super enthusiastic about this new platform of learning, make a list of the positives and the negatives and talk through them.
May the force be with us all!! 😊
If you would like any parenting support or counselling don’t hesitate to make contact and we can organise a Telehealth video call.
Life is full of new adventures.... let the journey begin!
