国产剧麻豆剧

I鈥檓 in the trenches with you, writing from my kitchen table while my kids play Legos in the garage and my husband does his engineering work from our hastily converted playroom-to-office area. With almost a billion children out of school due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, many parents are wondering how to juggle working from home with caring for and homeschooling their children. While no tips or hacks are going to make these days perfectly smooth, some actions can make working from home with children a bit easier. In the challenge, there is also opportunity to build close family bonds and to encourage one another.

国产剧麻豆剧鈥檚 Susan Rogers, co-chair of the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Family Sciences and academic director of 国产剧麻豆剧鈥檚 Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC), believes we shouldn鈥檛 miss the gifts amidst the stress.

鈥淚f you look at this time, we have opportunities that we haven鈥檛 had in the past,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here is going to be more time to connect as families and have some fun family rituals that we may not have had time to do before.鈥�

Establishing Routines and Rituals

Rogers says that one thing experts know about children is that at every stage of development it鈥檚 important to help them make sense of their world. Even though it can be challenging when new restrictions and processes necessitate frequent change, Rogers says that creating a routine based around key activities or rituals is one of the most helpful things parents can do.

鈥淭he nice thing about structure is that it helps make the world make sense and feel safe again,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s parents we can help create this through rituals and routines. Everything is changing, but when we have to change things, we talk about it.鈥�

Rogers suggests including elements such as family prayer time and game time as well as the necessary things like school and work. 

鈥淥ne of the pieces here is the idea of social referencing,鈥� she explained. 鈥淐hildren look at us to figure out what鈥檚 going on. They are looking at how we handle this, what our priorities are. Prayer, games, connecting around things like learning and exercise 鈥� the message that these are priorities could be lifelong.鈥�

Giving Kids a Voice

Rogers recommends that families spend time talking about their new routines. Children who are old enough can be a part of the planning process. Letting kids know that the family will talk about it together if things need to change and that the family is doing these things together provides reassurance.

鈥淕iving them a voice in this helps them know what to expect, and to know that some kind of love rituals, some kind of connectedness is going to happen every day,鈥� she said. 

__________
Who are you called to be?

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Focusing on Faith

Rogers also noted that this is an excellent time for parents to show their children that our strength comes from God. She suggests spending time together in prayer and giving each family member a chance to pray.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going through this in the time of Lent,鈥� she pointed out. 鈥淧ersonally, I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 an accident.鈥�

Rogers said that although the situation causing so many families to be home together is obviously very serious, that doesn鈥檛 mean we can鈥檛 see the chance to bond more deeply as a blessing.

鈥淲e have a special chance to focus on our home space and pull together. Who knows when another opportunity like this will come 鈥� it hasn鈥檛 happened in our lifetime. We are no longer pulled in as many directions. I鈥檓 excited to see what God is going to do with this.鈥�

Practicing Gratitude

Balancing childcare, work, and homeschooling is a lot to manage 鈥� that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important to look for the good in each day and to be grateful for it. One family ritual Rogers suggests, not just in this season of staying home but always, is . Each family member can share something from the day that they are thankful for, something that went right, or a praise.

Maintaining Realistic Expectations

Experts agree that parents don鈥檛 need to worry about immediately becoming their children鈥檚 replacement teachers. It鈥檚 not realistic for parents to suddenly have full and stimulating homeschool curriculums in place for six hours a day while they are working from home 鈥� and it鈥檚 not necessary. Many schools are providing some educational tools and resources for children, and there are many resources being made free and available to help parents.