80. Parenting in the Middle of a Pandemic

<p><span class="">A lot of you have asked for my thoughts on how we’re dealing with the Pandemic as parents. In this week's episode of The Crystal Paine Show, Jesse and I share some of the ways we're approaching parenting right now and what's working for us.</span></p> <p>As always, every child is different and you know your kids best, so I’m only sharing how we are approaching things at our house... and these principles can be applied to many different seasons of upheaval.</p> <p><em>Here are some of the strategies we share in this episode:</em></p> <p><span class=""><strong>Don’t dismiss your kids’ feelings.</strong> Feelings are not right or wrong and no one can tell you how you feel or don’t feel. It’s what you choose to do with those feelings that matters most. Give them space to talk about whatever it is they are feeling — anger, sadness, loneliness, grief, frustration, boredom.<br /></span></p> <p><span class=""><strong>Don’t preach sermons.</strong> I know it’s easy to want to use this as a way to teach valuable life lessons... but probably way more than sermons, your kids just need a listening ear and empathy. And trust me, your kids ARE going to learn many valuable lessons from this, but a listening ear goes a long way to help them feel seen, heard, and loved.<br /></span></p> <p><span class=""><strong>Don’t stress yourself out trying to get it all right.</strong> There is no manual on how to parent well through COVID-19. We’re all just doing the best we can do! When you feel overwhelmed or unsure how to handle a situation, it’s okay to acknowledge this and give yourself some grace. If you are a Christian, this is an amazing opportunity to cry out to the Lord for wisdom and direction for how to respond and love your kids well.<br /></span></p> <p><span class=""><strong>Do remember that you set the tone for your home.</strong> If you are extremely stressed and irritable, it’s going to trickle down to your kids and make them feel stressed and on edge. Make sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin so th