Parents are being faced with an incredibly difficult decision, do I send my kids back to school? How do I know what the best decision is? How can I choose between my kids' mental and physical health?

These are all valid questions and it is important to understand you are not alone in these decisions. With the COVID-19 pandemic, families across the globe have been faced with circumstances that nothing could have prepared them for. Isolation. Lockdowns. Mortality. Loss of resources. School closures. Job Loss. Closed daycares. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate. The list could go on and on. 

Many families have received a taste of what a new normal could feel like over the summer with camps, playdates and small family gatherings. Then, the delta variant happens, impacting unvaccinated and the most vulnerable, kids under the age of twelve. These variables have created many uncertainties, influencing what the Fall may have looked like, which is compounding the grief associated with the pandemic.

At this point, many kids are aware of what is happening, and many parents are struggling with the idea of their kids getting sick, school closures or having to be in masks all day. Each family has a different level of comfort, identifying their own concerns, and keeping kids safe and supported will be crucial for their mental health.

You are being faced with unimaginable decisions, which nothing in life can prepare you to do, so just know whatever decision you make will be the best decision for your family. You can always change your mind. So here are five things you can do to help your kids as they begin transition into their school year…

Open Communication. Hold space for your kids to ask questions and talk about their experiences, feelings and emotions leading into the school year. It can be really hard, but try to be self-aware to not project your own fears onto your kids. Talk to them about the importance of washing their hands, wearing their masks and other CDC Guidelines. Check into your school district's policy, so you can be prepared to have the conversation.

Listen. Be an active listener in what your kids are saying. Make eye contact and show them you really care about their feelings and always praise them for sharing all of their feelings. By doing this can help with building confidence and creating a safe space for them to share.

Process Together. Share the experience. Find ways to process the pandemic and go back to school together. Showing your kids vulnerability is healthy. Showing your kids how you navigate tough decisions is important. All of this will help prepare them for the world they are living in.

Pause and Play. No matter how tough the conversation may get, it's always good to take a pause. Play. Color. Paint. Find some kind of joint activity, so you aren’t forcing them into a conversation past their capacity. By taking this step it shows healthy boundary setting AND ways to navigate making tough decisions. 

Ask for help. While you are navigating these conversations, if you find yourself increasingly anxious, or struggling to find words, it's okay to find help. Whether it is your partner, a family member, friend, or a professional, asking for help to navigate situations is okay. Just find your comfort level, and ask. 

The benefits of child therapy

Therapy is a wonderful tool for healing, but that doesn’t mean that your child has to suffer from something serious to benefit from therapy. Reaching out for help now as an act of preventative maintenance can outfit your child with greater self-awareness and skills for succeeding on their own. Therapy can also enable you to identify the true source of your child’s challenges so that you can meet them head-on with strategies that really work.

So what’s next...

Therapy can help you as a parent reduce your stress, instill greater peace in your home, and ensure your child’s healthy development. To schedule an appointment,  Thrive Postpartum, couples and Family therapists can be reached by text or phone at 224-698-9792. Alternatively you can also schedule an appointment online. We look forward to hearing from you.