Thank you for this timely reassurance! I was talking with a friend about these feelings just last night as we prepare to send our children back to a masks-optional school.
This hits the mail on the head! Only my oldest is fully vaccinated as my younger two aren’t eligible yet. So anxious as the two older kids are back at a mask optional school as I anxiously wait for the n95 masks to come in the mail, just praying my kids don’t get it, especially for the unprotected ones
Kids are definitely picking up on adult anxiety. Adult anxiety regarding the pandemic is legitimate in the sense that (1) we are conditioning ourselves to expect zero-risk (or near-zero-risk) lives (which is not realistic) and (2) the if-it-bleeds-it-leads media trope is at a whole new level with social media and fragmented media generally (media constantly flog the worst news in order to attract eyeballs) — thus exacerbating (1).
When kids see, or even sense, adults freaking out, kids’ anxiety will probably be even worse.
My recommendation? Unplug from the Internet for extended periods of time (like — gasp! — for a whole day at least once a week). Get out of the house and engage the mind and body in meaningful activities (spending time with grandparents, working in a garden, walking in the woods).
The pandemic is bad. But it’s not as bad as many people treat it. Get vaccinated. Avoid packed crowds if possible. And reassure kids that they are likely safe.
As a Mom of 6 grown kids and Grandma of 10 I'd say your post is a significant understatement. My husband and I could share volumes on these subjects but here I'll simply say: we and our children will be owned by the things we're afraid of. As we learn to rationally face our fears, identify real threats and respond appropriately we grow. Alternatively learning to overcome fear which doesn't actually threaten us, face it and move on.
For instance fear of mosquitos. We lather up with mosquito repellant and hope for the best. Imagine our kids are so fearful of mosquitos or other minuscule threats they won't go outside.
We as responsible parents access the risks but overcome our own fears about mosquito bites sufficiently that our kids don't become phobic about mosquitos.
Sometimes the reactions to our fears are every bit more dangerous than the threats we imagine them to be.
We all have fear. Talk with our kids and help them accurately identify what they are feeling, they understand more about reality than we often give them credit for.
Thank you for this timely reassurance! I was talking with a friend about these feelings just last night as we prepare to send our children back to a masks-optional school.
Feeling all these feelings with you!
This essay totally nailed it. I have one kid home from a COVID exposure and one kid at school so I am having a spectrum of feelings.
This hits the mail on the head! Only my oldest is fully vaccinated as my younger two aren’t eligible yet. So anxious as the two older kids are back at a mask optional school as I anxiously wait for the n95 masks to come in the mail, just praying my kids don’t get it, especially for the unprotected ones
Kids are definitely picking up on adult anxiety. Adult anxiety regarding the pandemic is legitimate in the sense that (1) we are conditioning ourselves to expect zero-risk (or near-zero-risk) lives (which is not realistic) and (2) the if-it-bleeds-it-leads media trope is at a whole new level with social media and fragmented media generally (media constantly flog the worst news in order to attract eyeballs) — thus exacerbating (1).
When kids see, or even sense, adults freaking out, kids’ anxiety will probably be even worse.
My recommendation? Unplug from the Internet for extended periods of time (like — gasp! — for a whole day at least once a week). Get out of the house and engage the mind and body in meaningful activities (spending time with grandparents, working in a garden, walking in the woods).
The pandemic is bad. But it’s not as bad as many people treat it. Get vaccinated. Avoid packed crowds if possible. And reassure kids that they are likely safe.
As a Mom of 6 grown kids and Grandma of 10 I'd say your post is a significant understatement. My husband and I could share volumes on these subjects but here I'll simply say: we and our children will be owned by the things we're afraid of. As we learn to rationally face our fears, identify real threats and respond appropriately we grow. Alternatively learning to overcome fear which doesn't actually threaten us, face it and move on.
For instance fear of mosquitos. We lather up with mosquito repellant and hope for the best. Imagine our kids are so fearful of mosquitos or other minuscule threats they won't go outside.
We as responsible parents access the risks but overcome our own fears about mosquito bites sufficiently that our kids don't become phobic about mosquitos.
Sometimes the reactions to our fears are every bit more dangerous than the threats we imagine them to be.
We all have fear. Talk with our kids and help them accurately identify what they are feeling, they understand more about reality than we often give them credit for.