How to not stress your kids out with Coronavirus, COVID-19!
I was listening to my daughter speak with her friend back in America about the Coronavirus, and her friend said, “I am scared….I have a lot of questions that my parents can’t answer.” For the first time, it hit me that if adults are panicking (in case you haven’t notice try to buy some toilet paper and you will see), imagine our kids!
My family and I recently moved to Thailand and as soon as the COVID-19 stared, we had some friends and family call us and share their concern for our safety and also our son’s (he is in Korea). However, thank God up to now we have been well and supposedly there is one confirmed case where we live. I do have to admit that it has been a little terrifying how this has spread so rapidly, it is like a bad dream that we just can’t wake up from. As some of us have been educating ourselves on this new virus and how to stay safe, we might have forgotten our kids and how they are receiving this global phenomenon. Of course, as parents, we say things like “is going to be ok”, or “we don’t need to worry just wash your hands.” But, are they really buying this? When they see us and the world around them changing so fast, with no school and constant updates on what is happening next, what do you think they are receiving and interpreting?
So here are ways to help our kids during this time. (Lol, as I am writing this while my daughter is in choir practice at a music school, the director just got a call that even the music school has to close too, starting tomorrow).
Be open to them and give them an age-appropriate explanation of what is happening. Don’t just brush it off with a quick answer. Kids are not dumb and they know something serious is happening.
Come up with a plan as to how to keep your family safe. Even if you are in an area that currently has no cases of Coronavirus, many people, especially those in Italy will say, don’t underestimate and be prepared. Even if you feel that you are overreacting, come up with a plan. As a family, we have decided with my kids that we will not share water bottles, food, etc…. We wash our hands regularly and sanitize our hands after every store we go to (when we absolutely have to go to). We do not receive food from others that was not packaged or given with a utensil, no sharing chips at the park (we go to park daily and kids share food there) or receiving a piece of gum by a friend. It sounds extreme, but this is not a joke.
Explain to your kids the importance of eating healthy to stay healthy. Don’t feed them so much junk food or allow them to have a sweet overload. I know this will be especially hard as they will be at home all day long and it’s easy to eat when bored.
Boost their immune system, lots of vitamin C and their multivitamins. Have them go to sleep early. Regular exercise, without compromising their safety, social isolation. For us, this means no more park in the afternoon to play with kids, now bike rides first thing in the morning when the streets are quiet and alone.
Screens off. Turn the news off, or put the phone down. Sometimes, we don’t realized how absorbed we may be keeping up with the news and this will be an overload for the kids. When they go to bed, go back to your news if you must.
For my family and me, in times like this our faith becomes more real. In the midst of chaos, we can find peace in God and we find hope in promises that the Bible gives us. This is very comforting to my kids and also for me as a parent. Like I mentioned earlier, our son is in Korea and we pray for him daily and that’s all we can do. We teach our girls to pray, and they do and this brings them comfort, as young as they are 6 and 10 years old. I couldn’t imagine watching the news and seeing the world events without faith in God and His promises of His soon return and take us to a better place.
In summary, look at your kids in the eye and ask them what they know about what’s going on and how they feel about it. Ask them how are their friends feeling about it. Give them a hug and follow the above steps.
