Continuing the thought from the last article, Covid times have been a trying time for the adults, yes, absolutely... but let’s stop here. Take a step back and look at the kids and how they are handling it.
Personally, I am amazed at how resilient the kids are. How accommodating & forgiving they are of us and our lack of empathy towards what must be so unknown & potentially a very scary time for them as well. They just seem to roll with it..
Here is how (I think) they approach it:
schools closed?.... okay
Can’t meet friends?... sad, but okay
No/reduced outdoor playtime?.. okay
Screen time probably replaced by online school time?... okay
No birthday celebration FOR ME this year??.... sad, but okay
Zoom birthday maybe? Sure, okay!
Meanwhile.. the grown ups (well.. hopefully not the entire grown up population)
schools closed?.... oh no!
Can’t meet friends?... oh no!
No/reduced outdoor playtime?.. oh no!
Screen time probably replaced by online school time?... oh God No!!!
No birthday celebration FOR ME (the adult) this year??.... oh good!
Zoom birthday maybe? Oh no!
While the kids definitely watch us and try to mimic our feelings and reactions to situations.. I feel, this one time, it is our turn to kneel down and look at these big inconveniences with their little eyes. Maybe they won’t seem that big anymore. And maybe we could handle them with more “okay”s going forward?
A thing to note here is - the kids seem to feel okay because they know YOU are always going to be there for them and THAT is what makes it all okay.
Maybe it’s time to sit back, TRY to relax and think - Who is going to be your “okay” person?
(Remember that balloon from 2 weeks ago? Now is the time to allow it to inflate & deflate and let the slide show begin..! 😂)
At the end of it though, I hope so much for everyone to find that they are their own “okay” person... Resilience begins with the self. Be kinder to yourself and it will radiate to your loved ones. Unfortunate things happen all the time, it’s how we bounce back from them that matters.
🙏🏽🙏🏽