Parenting During a Pandemic

Image from Pixabay

As a parent, part of your job is keeping your children safe. If I could, I would wrap my kids in bubble wrap to cushion their falls.

But one thing I never worried about was a global pandemic. Now I'm struggling to balance my anxiety with trying to keep my kids occupied.

Yesterday, I tried to muster up interest in the backyard swing set -- now that all playgrounds are wrapped with police tape in Denver. "Mommy, can I sit on the swing? Does it have germs?" my four-year-old asked.

Then she nervously took my hand when we took the dog for a walk. "I'm not sure if we should do this," she said. I tried to explain to her that we were still allowed to leave the house to go for walks

I thought I was doing a good job of explaining to her why we couldn't see grandma for a while. Of why preschool is closed. Of why one person has to go to the grocery store instead of the whole family.

Yesterday, as the US became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, I seemed to have faltered as well. Today, I'm going to take a break from reading the coronavirus body count.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, keeping calm is key. "Remember that children will react to both what you say and how you say it. They will pick up cues from the conversations you have with them and with others," the CDC said in guidelines on its website.

Here are some other parenting tips from experts:

How to Calmly Explain the Coronavirus to Your Kids

Tips for handling work and kids during COVID-19 isolation

How to talk to children about the coronavirus

Do you have any tips to share about talking to your children about the coronavirus?

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Trying Not to Panic at Stay-at-Home Order

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

A stay-at-home order for Denver residents starts today at 5 p.m. due to the coronavirus. I'm trying not to panic. I support it as this right thing to do, and yet, it has finally hit home that my life is going to to be drastically different in the next couple of months.

We have been staying at home as much as possible, but my two children don't always understand why we are home so much. School is out for at least a month, and most likely the rest of the year.

Yesterday, I took them to a deserted playground to let off steam. We also visited grandma's house.

But now, the playgrounds are closing at 5 p.m. And now grandma says it would be probably better if we stayed away. I'm sure both decisions are the right thing to do, but I have no Plan B.

The order allows people to go outside and exercise, as long as social distancing is maintained. But my elderly dog is already sick of walks. She hides from me when I try to go for walks.

Please don't inundate me with emails about flattening the curve. I want to flatten the curve. I just don't know how to keep my sanity while doing it.

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Let's Do the Corona Cancel

Image from Pixabay

As coronavirus fears sweep the nation, let's do our part and hibernate. I canceled lunch with a former coworker on Friday, which would have involved taking public transportation and eating in a crowded restaurant.

It's 2020, for God's sake. We don't have a health care system in the US that's remotely prepared for a pandemic, but we do have Netflix. We don't have a president who even understands what a virus is, but we do have the technology that lets some of us work from home.

My children are on Spring Break next week, and we idly talked about taking a trip. Now it's Corona Cancel time. We're going to stay home and do crafts until our fingers ache and our dining room table is completely coated in glue and glitter.

Now is the time to embrace the aspects of American life that are so often denigrated. Let's embrace the drive-thru. We don't have to go into a restaurant to eat. We can avoid social contact and still receive delicious food.

Let's live all our life on Facebook. We don't have to ever talk to each other in person again. Forget "Bowling Alone." Let's try existing for the next four weeks without face-to-face contact.

Just practice with me.

"I can't make it. I have to Corona Cancel."

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.