How to help your children deal with quarantine fatigue
“But mom, why can't I go to my friend's birthday party?”
“Can my friends come over?”
“Can we go to the park?”
As 2020 has worn on, these questions have been cropping up more frequently. Kids don't understand why staying away from social gatherings is important, and other parents can give mixed signals by flouting CDC guidelines.
If you drive by the park and see 25 other kids playing without masks and not social distancing, your child may not necessarily understand why they can't play too.
Anger is normal. Help them through it.
Your kids have lost a big part of their lives, and if they are at key ages that loss can be specific. Your child may have missed out on prom, their first day of kindergarten, or other big milestones. It's normal for your child to be angry, or even to lash out.
Help your child cope with anger by finding the right words to describe how they feel. It's important not to avoid talking about their feelings. Instead, help them feel the emotions in their body, and direct it into constructive practices such as breathing exercises or yoga.
Remind them that it's temporary
As hard as it is to believe that Covid-19 has an end, this too shall pass. Remind them that eventually there will be a vaccine, better treatments, and that eventually we won't have to isolate anymore.
Help them find ways to socialize
Zoom meetings with their friends, phone calls with loved ones, writing letters and sending care packages are all ways they can still connect with others safely. By helping them find outlets for their need to socialize, you can help make quarantine a bit easier for them.
Quarantine is as difficult for kids as it is for adults, but with a little understanding you can help them cope until quarantine is no longer necessary.