Parenting in a Covid-19 world

Published on Tue Aug 31 2021 in Family

BAM! just when you think you have got the hang of it, another developmental stage for your child hits and you feel like you’re back at square one with a whole raft of new challenges … this is parenting. It can feel like juggling a series of curve balls, some events are expected, such as when the baby starts walking, the start of school, or the teenage years. However, one event most parents could not anticipate before 2020 was a worldwide pandemic. 

The pandemic is one of the biggest curve balls to affect this generation, and with no model to follow from previous generations, today’s parents are left to figure out the best way forward on their own. With ongoing changing level alerts and closed borders, Covid-19 has affected all of us and changed the way we have had to parent in an unusual set of circumstances. 

The challenges of parenting through a pandemic

During lockdown, there are the practical challenges of working from home whilst also supervising online schooling and caring for babies and pre-schoolers. Then there’s also the intangible challenges of helping children cope with their emotions. Disappointment over cancelled birthday parties and weekend sport, missing contact with friends and loved ones and anxiety and fear of the virus itself, are just some of the emotions children of all ages are dealing with.

With case numbers rising and no definitive end to lockdown at the time of writing, many extra-curricular activities and events previously considered a right-of-passage may likely be cancelled, such as sporting finals, school dances and other end of year events. All these cancellations can cause emotional reactions that parents will need to help their children work through.

There could also be ongoing learning implications as a result of lockdown, with lower writing scores recorded for children in years 5-10¹.  After such a disruption to their learning, some children and parents undoubtedly will be disappointed with their school reports and exam results for the year.

The upside

Despite the challenges, Covid-19 has changed many things for our children. Gone are the days of home baked birthday treats at school and blowing out the candles on the shared birthday cake. Whilst it is easy to mourn what Covid-19 has taken from us and our children, there have been positive outcomes for a lot of families from this pandemic.

With working from home arrangements tested during lockdown, many parents can now negotiate more flexible working arrangements. As a result, more parents can be available for the moments that matter, such as seeing their child receive an award at a school assembly, albeit virtually. Working from home also means time previously spent commuting can now be family time and for some, slashed commuting costs has undoubtedly helped the family budget. 

When grown, our children will look back and cherish the time spent together as a family during lockdown, forging bonds and creating unique childhood memories. Our children will be able to tell future generations about living through this period of history where we had to stay home and do schoolwork on the computer. 

A new outlook

Even with the availability of a vaccine, the outlook remains uncertain as the pandemic is far from over. With new Covid-19 variants emerging, and a resurgence of local cases, it’s normal to feel anxious about the future. It is still an uncertain time of Alert Level changes, and so parents must remain adaptable to help children face the uncertainty of the road ahead. A positive outcome of this unusual time is that we will have a generation of resilient children who know how to wash their hands thoroughly! 

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About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.

 

1. RNZ, Lockdowns harmed children’s writing achievement, 29 June 2021

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