The world we know has changed in the past six months now. Many countries are witnessing the second wave of Covid-19 infections, making it difficult for everyone to feel safe. While we do our best as an adult to prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease, kids are the most vulnerable.
The so-called ‘new normal’ has wrecked hell on kids who cannot go outside and play like always this summer. It may be difficult for them to learn this change, but there needs to be assistance.
Families have changed their habits around the world with no choice but to adapt to a new normal.
Source: Pexels
Kids are often attached to their mothers, and they seek moral support from her. As a mom, you will need to play a pivotal role in advising your child against stressful situations. It is reasonable to consider a certain degree of concern for your kids, but you cannot have them sit inside the house out of fear.
The schools are reopening in many states. The new wave of digital education has already made its way. As a citizen of the pandemic-hit world, we welcome the recent change that is full of restrictions. Amidst all the mental and socio-economic chaos, mothers are responsible for teaching children positive prevention strategies. It begins with addressing their concerns, talking to them, and providing them with a sense of control and security to children.
I know it is easier said than done because we are getting new information about the virus every other day. It forces us to change our habits and teach children the same thing. They may feel the information overload, but you need to understand that it is in their best interest.
It is also a fantastic opportunity for mothers to model children in problem-solving, flexibility, and kindness. We are all working towards constantly modifying our way of life, balancing work from home, and other social activities. The present scenario forces families to think of ways to help the child deal with the new normal.
Teach About Hygiene & Staying Healthy
With sickness and COVID being our new normal, wearing masks and taking vitamins is our new normal! We have embraced wearings masks and we have now found Norm’s Farms ElderKids Organic Elderberry Gummies to take on a daily basis. My daughter really loved the taste immediately, especially because they are gummies! It makes taking vitamins even easier than before! This is definitely a good time to get your child used to taking vitamins on a daily basis as precautions. My daughter gets one with her breakfast everyday and if I don’t give it to her, she will remind me!
What’s so good about these vitamins? Well, each gummy is crafted with organic ingredients and essential nutrients such as zinc, vitamin C, and probiotics. These gummies provide an easy and convenient way to get immune and digestive support in just one gummy.Another amazing benefit of the gummies are that they are USDA Organic, Non-GMO, vegan, gluten free, and are TRU-ID tested.
Look at Norm’s Farms website to find where to buy yours! Make sure to use a 10% off code at checkout MOM10.
Mind Your Words
There’s more to this COVID-19 than just the infection. It is fear. And a lot depends on how you talk to your child about the virus. It can significantly change the way they approach life in modern times.
Tell your child about your health and also make them aware of the symptoms. But then, re-assure them that your family is healthy. Tell them that you are going to do everything within your power to keep them safe.
Carefully listen or have them draw or write out their thoughts and feelings. The best way is to indulge them in journaling. If they feel bored about writing it down physically, choose multimedia. Use Lugelo App to document their videos, pictures, and thoughts with a timestamp to create memories.
Explain Social Distancing
It is difficult for children to understand why they are not allowed to go out and play. They might also miss their friends and wonder when they will ever meet again.
If you haven’t, it’s about time to have a conversation around social distancing. Tell your child that your family follows the social distancing recommendations. Social distancing means to stay away from others until the risk of COVID-19 is regulated.
Start showing them the “flatten the curve” charts if your child is old enough to understand. Show them how their sacrifices can contribute to curbing the infections. Explain that while we are not sure how long it takes to “flatten the curve,” we are conscious that this is a crucial time — we have to follow the health professionals’ instructions to do our part.
Introduce Yoga and Breathing Exercises
Make your child understand the importance of physical activities and a balanced life. Toss in yoga and breathing exercises into their daily lives. Make them follow the routine.
A 30-minute yoga every day does a lot of good to you. Your child should know good mental about and physical well-being as building immunity is the best attack.
Source: Pexels
Deep breathing exercises are critical to mental peace. It is not easy to convince them but try doing it for yourself. They will see you doing it and be inquisitive about your new activity. That’s when you will introduce the right exercise to them.
If they do not find it fascinating, tell them the importance. Show them videos about building immunity and focusing on breaking can help them beat viruses in the future.
Make Them Mask Friendly
Start telling your children that wearing masks in public means becoming a good citizen and winning school awards. Educating them that new normal is about thinking about others. You wear a mask to not spread germs to anyone, including our friends, neighbors, or relatives.
Your child may find it annoying, but you will have to choose empathetic learning as a mother. Again, a lot will depend on you and your partner. When they see you going out with a purpose and wearing a mask, they know it has a meaning. Advise children that being around people other than the immediate family will mean keeping the mask on.
Speak to them about all types of people wearing masks – firefighters, fighter pilots, superheroes, and more! Children will join the ranks of these special people by wearing masks whenever they leave the house. Tell them how wearing a mask is about being a superhero in the new normal.
Mind Your Media
The current media may get toxic after a point, especially with a plethora of Covid-19 news and rampant fear due to deaths. Remember, consuming too much negative news on television can harm your child badly.
This can increase the anxiety and fear around contracting the virus. Also, you cannot control what they watch on their devices. So it is better to know about what they consume by asking them questions.
Ask them what they think about viruses, about the new normal, and government policies. They may have contradictory opinions. Don’t get worked out. Instead, listen to them and cultivate a rational approach to make them understand.
The idea is to dispel rumors and misinformation. Tell them how most information they consume may be unmonitored and untrue, leading to more serious situations.
Conclusion
One way to adapt to a new normal is to engage your child in playing games or other outdoor and indoor activities. Try incorporating productive sessions once or twice a day. Include your partner and other family members in doing group activities. You need to understand that behavioral change is a long process that demands time and patience.
Your child won’t adapt to a new normal overnight, so don’t be too harsh. Instead, try identifying the problem s/he faces and resolve it. A young child with a developmental disability may have a hard time picking up the new normal. Be extra careful in that case. And remember, it is hard for any mother to raise a child in the new normal. But don’t worry, we are all in this together. And there’s still plenty of hope in the world.
“I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.”
