Family Confinement Tips from Parents Who Know: Part I
Photo by James Besser on Unsplash
As we enter another month (or maybe three) of living on top of one another, I’ve found comfort in the social media posts from my homeschooling friends. If anyone knows how to exist in the trenches with our kiddos 24/7 it’s them! Every day seems to bring a new challenge, and somehow we’re making this thing work for us. I might even go out on a limb and say we’re thriving. How? This is what I’ve learned so far…
No. 1 Life Skills Curriculum
As schools across the nation scramble to transition their platform from the classroom to the screen, we’re getting an up-close and personal look at our children’s education. The consensus from my fellow parents so far seems to be a few great hits and a lot of sad misses. I’ve been impressed with my middle schooler’s teachers and their ability to embrace google classroom. My high schooler has yet to receive anything more than a few sentences of busywork. It’s disheartening. But now that we get this extra opportunity to spend quality time with him before he leaves the nest, we’re grabbing it!
Cooking is a great place to start. My son laments daily about how he’ll never use algebra or calculus in real life. So let’s fine-tune his measurement skills! Calculate, convert, weigh. Properly set the table—get out all those accessory utensils and figure out where they actually go! Discuss the origins of the meal. Where did the ingredients come from? Were they sourced locally or shipped? From what country did the recipe originate? What can we learn about that country, its history, its customs?
No. 2 Ditch the Strict Schedule
Ditching a schedule may seem counterintuitive at first, especially with a house full of chaos. But one thing this whole ever-evolving pandemic appears to be teaching us is that our ability to control is a fantasy. We are not in control—of this virus or everyone else. Becoming the dictator of your home is not going to placate the fear you may be feeling about all the uncertainty in the world right now. It will likely just make you more frustrated that there’s nothing you can do about it. Go with the flow inside your home, and you might just find that you’re better able to surrender to the chaos going on outside it.
No. 3 Keep Your Kids Accountable
If No. 2 left you all in a tizzy, then this one should restore a bit of peace and calm to your parenting mind. CHORE CHARTS. A loose schedule doesn’t mean our kids get to sit around playing video games and being served their meals. We discovered that using this time to reestablish some daily and weekly chores has not only benefitted us, but the kids feel a sense of purpose and family cohesiveness (that was waning as they remained holed up in front of their screens!)
We simply ask our kids that they complete their chores before any screen time. So far so good. Feel free to download and print out this free chart I created, and let me know how it works for you!
More family confinement tips continued in Part II here. Also, be sure to check out my previous posts about finding peace and calm during this coronavirus.
Family Confinement Tips: Part II
How to Recognize Hidden Fear Amid a Pandemic
8 Body & Mind Tools to Bring Calm in the Face of Fear
Please share with others. We could all use a daily dose of heart-lifting and health-inspiring media.
Would you like to receive these types of posts in your inbox? Never miss a week of my practical tools to help you live a more vibrant life by signing up for my newsletter. You'll receive my Mind-Body Healing Starter Guide for FREE just for signing up. Win-Win!