No School. What Now?
This morning our BC provincial government confirmed what we had all been thinking would happen…schools are closed indefinitely. Indefinitely is a tough word to hear, especially in the unknown waters our country is currently treading.
Many parents are scrambling to figure out how to now educate their children at home in this new normal. But I encourage you to PAUSE.
- Acknowledge your emotions. You and your children will be feeling the full range of emotions. You are grieving your normal routine, what was comfortable for you and your children, what you all have lost. Take some quiet time to just breathe, listen to calming music or journal.
- Sit down as a family and have a discussion. Ask your children how they are feeling? What are their worries? What are they looking forward to? Share with them that things will be changing but it is important as a family to work together as a team. Ask for their ideas/suggestions. Take everything into consideration but don’t make any firm plans, yet.
- Pause again. You do not need to rush into “school work”. Enjoy family time, soak in the quietness and just being together. Play games, watch movies, bake together, read together and just be.
- Make notes on what you would like in a routine. Ask for input from your children. Develop a routine for “Spring Break” and then compile ideas for a routine to get back into academics.
- Join a parent support group on social media. I have started “It Takes a Village” for parents to find resources, ask questions and just be encouraged.
- Wait to hear from your school. They are working hard right now to develop ways to support your family too. Just give them a little breathing room as they gather together to come up with a plan.
- A really good activity is to have everyone in your family take a personality quiz. Then you all can sit down over a bowl of popcorn and discuss your traits and how as a part of a team, everyone can respect each other’s uniqueness and ways to communicate effectively with each other. You are all going to be in close quarters for a while, it is bound to get overwhelming at times. This is completely normal.
- Communication is key. Listen to each other and give each other grace. This is new for everyone and we all handle change differently.
You’ve got this!
May your day be filled with peace and your cup with copious amounts of coffee. Love, Nikki
Nikki Bergstresser 