Parenting During Coronavirus: Strategies For Helping Kids Who Are Learning From Home
DENVER (CBS4) - Parenting during a pandemic is something all of us are learning on the fly.
"Not only are you doing your normal job, you're now a teacher. You're getting to do the disciplinary stuff that a teacher would normally be doing for you all day long, on top of everything else, and who has the bandwidth?" said Katherine Winter-Sellery, founder of the Conscious Parenting Revolution.
Winter-Sellery suggests the current situation presents an opportunity.
"COVID-19 is an optimal time for us to be able to support our children taking ownership of their own work, their own schedules."
Then, instead of directing every aspect of their life and learning, you become more of a consultant, placing the responsibility in their hands.
"It may need to be, 'Here's what's going on. Do you need my support? Chunking it? Do you need some support figuring out how to make it bite sized pieces?'"
Winter-Sellery says when kids are overwhelmed, they start acting out.
"You as a parent can view that behavior is bad, or you can look at it simply as information. It's a signal to me that they're out of control. And they need support finding it again."
When your child tells you no, she suggests we not look at that as being disobedient or disrespectful, but rather as an opportunity to ask them what they are saying yes to inside themselves.
"Now you're opening the door for a child's inner world. And that is incredible to acknowledge that a child has their own inner world and their own point of view."
Winter-Sellery has been offering free online sessions for parents each week and will be holding two free parenting seminars Monday, April 27:
The Conscious Parenting Revolution website has more information. See Winter-Sellery's TED Talks below:
