Lockdown Parenting..

“I know I know.. I have to wash my hands and feet and face.. with soap!”, comes a snorty snub from my 8 year old before I say anything, as she rushes back in from her football class.

While I hit save on the last tweaks I made to the presentation, my eye wanders to make sure the 30 sec rule is being followed to keep the microbial enemy at bay!

This isn’t new to me.. the balancing act. But this time around, feels truly novel. This very real scare has us all in a lock-down and in a situation we aren’t quite used to. The daily routine of dropping the kids off to school, traveling, traffic jams, rushing through homework, planning for the next day, somehow feels comfortably normal.

But here we are with this necessary and forced quarantine, where some of us are unfortunately starting to feel queasy with more than enough time around the kids and family.

My 5-year-old decides to be a doctor and has progressed on her pretend plays, to be treating Corona patients with so much ease, that I have to admire. Every day I learn a tiny new thing about my girls that we as parents weren’t aware of.

With the novelty aspect quickly wearing out though, I can see the outpour of parents on the need to find fresh and innovative ways to deal with this situation. The internet and social media groups are abuzz around tips and tricks to keep the kids engaged at home, everything from online classes, story time from space (believe it or not!), online dance/ art classes or yoga for kids to virtual museum tours around the world, everyone seems to be at their creative best. Feels like a contest out there on who could outwit each other better.

Thank God for the technological advancement, we aren’t holed up, we have access to the world, while keeping ourselves seemingly safe.

I think the key to this forced “Vacation” is to come up with a new normal. Especially since I grasp this way of life is not ending soon.

These are a few of my go to ideas at this time of shutdown to deal with toddlers to pre-teeners!

Be Organized

Even though being at home, has its own luxury, never get into the ease mode. I find early mornings to be the best time to concentrate and work, and the best time to decide what I need to accomplish during the day. Planning my day and sticking to it, gives me a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction at the end of day.

Create a Time Chart

Be organized with the kid’s time too. Encourage them to craft it out and create a time plan. Better would be the chances of them sticking to it if done jointly. For every screen time hour, there must be a learning time… you get the drift!

Revisit this every week to make it exciting and interesting.

Take out time to do things together and doing things apart

As much as we love bonding over Board Games, Gardening, jig sawing or cooking together, take out a couple of hours to be alone and away. Rejuvenating the brain to give a 100%, the next time you are together is super important.

Having adult conversations

Treating kids as if they were adults, takes away the need to monitor and correct them all the time. This has helped me keep the harmony at home and not policing around the kids too often. I am surprised everyday with their ability to grasp the gravity of every conversation! Talking to them about why this is happening and giving positivity to all this dread is absolutely needed.

Work out

Apart from keeping your body fit, it’s a perfect way to refresh your mind as well. Taking out time to be with yourself, has its own relaxation affect and peacetime. Being at home, automatically prioritizes things at home rather than work, and this is the time when I can peacefully think and strategize about work.

Put on that learning hat

I think this is an opportune time for everyone to get into a learning mode as well. Dish out those overdue learning programs which had been stashed away for never having the time to get back to it. For when you get back to work, you are a much learned individual.

Someday when this is all over, and we get back to routine life.. we want them to joke and reminisce these days as one of their best times spent with family rather than just thinking about stress, chaos, uncertainty and gloom! Do share your tips as well to make the best of your time with the family and discovering something new everyday!