Parents Need Connections During the Pandemic

Holidays are not the same this year. We are all missing family, friends, traditions and rituals. I repeat a mantra frequently to help me get through - "Everything changes and ends." This crazy time will end. I just have to be brave enough to plug through. It helps to know that my family is working hard to keep COVID free and healthy so we can all see each other again. Finding ways to stay connected in the interim can be difficult.

All of us, especially parents of young children need to be connected to family and friends for support during this time. My family plays games on-line occasionally and we use Zoom and Facetime to see each other. I have taken morning walks “with” my young adult children while catching up on the phone. Movement is good for shifting mood. Some ways families could connect while at a distance might revolve around common interest areas. If a family or friend group share cooking/baking interests they could cook “together” and discuss while sampling the finished product. Some families may enjoy sharing poems, movies, comedy or books and then discussing. Routines are important to children’s health. Scheduled weekly story times or joke times with grandparents would give parents a break while continuing the family bond.

A recently discovered way my family is keeping in touch each day is with a free app called Qs: Question Game for Friends. Each morning I look forward to the Qs question as I know my partner and young adult children will be reading and answering as well. It makes the distance between us not seem as far. Answers given can be funny, revealing or somewhat philosophical depending on their responses and later comments. I am learning things about them I did not know. Playing each day has made me feel more connected and closer to them.

If you have a way you are maintaining connection and support at a distance, share it with others in the comment section. And try to remember, everything changes and ends. This time period will too.