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Parenting In a Pandemic with less Pandemonium
We aren’t all first responders but as parents we are all front line workers of a sort.Our worlds have collided and parked right in our homes. We are working remotely, running households as safely as we can, and managing our finances in an economic crises.We are working with Roycemore’s staff to provide an optimal remote- learning experience for your children. Above all we are searching for answers to questions about how to do all this in the best way possible.
How will this affect my child in the long run
?
How do I ensure they are working and not gaming while on their screens
?
How do I respond to the meltdowns?
The most poignant of these questions is
Am I doing this right?
We are doing a question and answer session with parents of Lower school students on Tuesday May 5th at 4:00 pm, using Zoom. While Dr. Glader will be on hand to help with the questions, this is also a forum to exchange ideas and proved support to each other within the amazing community that we have here at Roycemore. If you have a minute and would like to send questions beforehand, address them to Dr Glader at
gglader@roycemoreschool.org
Gretchen Glader is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Parenting during a Pandemic -Lower School
Time: May 5, 2020 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 786 4145 7577
Password: 9YHqzx
I’d like to share some ideas that I have found helpful to keep my own personal and professional fears at bay…first of all, this time of year is a time when I don’t envy my friends/family in warm climates like CA, where flowers bloom all year and trees are green all the time. I love the experience of spring as an awakening, when the trees slowly bud and turn from brown to green, when the crocus pops up and the jonquils burst into bloom, often despite still quite chilly temps in the Midwest.
Hearing the returning birds chirping and spotting the cardinals’ nest in my arborvitae bush in the backyard reminds me that life and renewal are ongoing. With the spring comes hope for a future bursting with life and beauty, which we begin to see around us at this time after the browns and grays of winter slowly fade from view.
I have to remind myself that this, too, shall pass, and my life will return, eventually, to at least a new normal, if not the old normal. I will be able to greet friends in person and hug my grandchildren again, at some point. Emmylou, who had her 2nd birthday on April 18th, told her mother this morning: “Mommy, I don’t know what I want! I don’t know what I need!” Her first existential crisis…just hearing reports of her words makes my heart soar like a hawk despite feeling sad that my 2-year-old granddaughter is having an existential crisis!
Strategies for Coping
Walking outside and soaking in nature is very soothing, as is daily deep breathing and meditation. Having less work time and more at-home time may allow us to create the space for some personal quiet (maybe once your own children are either in bed or watching a video!) in which we can light a candle and breathe deeply, in and out, relax our bodies and empty our minds.
Taking a moment each day to think of three things I’m grateful for is also reassuring…and this pandemic has made some of the smallest things now deeply appreciated…finding toilet paper or Kleenex at the store or online, what a feat! Making a delicious home-cooked meal, or even doing curbside delivery from a local restaurant once in a while, now are treasured experiences instead of daily parts of life that were taken for granted.
New "Roycemore Family" Page Launched
Our new Chief Griffinity Officer, Early Childhood staff member
Justin Bailey
, launched a new webpage! This is another way for students and families to stay connected and continue to share our school spirit. Share your shelter in place experiences with us:
https://roycemoreschool.org/family/
Website for Remote Learning:
Coronavirus Response Page:
