Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips on How to Handle Homeschooling
photo via canva.com & kaspars7
GUEST POST BY: KIMBERLY DIDRIKSON, OWNER OF LEARNING MOTHERHOOD
THE REALITY OF NAVIGATING WORKING FROM HOME
The reality of navigating working from home while homeschooling our children has presented a strain on working families across the country. The requirements from a school perspective differ vastly depending on a number of factors. The one consistent thing is parents are stressed. Expectations of what we did prior to the pandemic have to adjust we can’t do it all nor should we.
We were never meant to work, parent, and homeschool our children all at the same time.
As each week turns into months, the thought of just surviving until school opens again isn’t ideal either and ultimately our mental health will suffer. As the pandemic continues there has to be a space for working parents to step above survival and work towards thriving again.
UP YOUR COMMUNICATION
To start moving out of the trenches, elevating our communication between family members, work, and your child’s teacher can be the best way to understand expectations while supporting what is truly manageable.
DEVELOP A ROUTINE
Developing routines that support the family related to the household requirements of work is an important foundation in creating space of some form of predictability.
The schedule itself most likely will vary, but the routine of the day can support the idea of everyone knowing what happens next. This is ultimately created by understanding the rhythm of your household and by far one of the most important parts of generating a less stressful environment.
BE GRACIOUS
Lastly, give yourself grace when it feels like you should be doing more remember how many hats were put on your head with no notice, no planning, and without the backing of your support system. This situation is less than ideal and if it feels like you should be doing more you are probably doing too much.
At the end of the day, you truly are enough and what you can do is literally all you are able to give right now, do not underestimate the value of the effort you are putting into each day.