Articles
Here you will find parenting articles with useful tips and strategies, links to trusted research and examples of personal experience. Some of the articles have videos that help to bring the content to life.
Parents are front line heroes, too!
Diane McGregor, Kitchener, ON
There are many heroes in our world right now, particularly those who are working the “front lines” in our shared battle against COVID-19…
…healthcare workers, grocery store staff, those who work in the production of our food and essential supplies, construction
and home repair workers, police, transit drivers, our elected representatives at all levels of government and a host of essential community services. All of these people have been working tirelessly to help keep us safe, healthy, fed, supplied, informed, entertained and connected with each other.
I am deeply grateful for everything they do.
There are unsung heroes out there right now, though….those working the “front line” in homes all around us.
Parents are front line heroes, too.
When the pandemic hit and ground our regular activities to a screeching halt, parenting carried on….but suddenly all the supports and activities that are such an integral part of the daily activities of parenting vanished. Schools and day cares, closed. Organized activities such as ballet and soccer and art classes, poof—gone. Extended family supports, available only through patio windows, telephone calls and video chats. Friends and playmates, isolated in their own homes and not out on the street playing. Valuable community services, closed.
The landscape of parenting changed in a heartbeat and for too many weeks, families were left to navigate it all on their own.
When the initial shock settled, parents found themselves needing to manage daily tasks and activities in ways they had never had to do before—schoolwork, working from home, grocery shopping, staying connected with family and friends and, perhaps the most difficult of all, trying to help our kids understand why there is no ballet or play dates or hanging out with friends. They became teachers, playmates, therapists and camp-counsellors, in addition to all the many other parenting roles they have always served. This all while trying to understand what was happening in the world themselves (and trying oh so very hard not to feel guilty about all that screen time!).
Many creative solutions were found. Birthday parades and Zoom dinners. Experiential learning. Family scavenger hunts throughout the neighbourhood. Sidewalk drawings. Porch visits and “air hugs”. Funny and touching videos sent to loved ones.
The innovation and resilience shown by parents during this pandemic have been truly inspiring.
It has been a very difficult journey though. Many parents have floundered and struggled to find the supports they need. The truth is, we have all found ourselves moving in and out of how well we are coping. Some days we feel we’ve got this, other days we feel nothing but failure and despair.
At Parenting Now, we want you to know that you are our front line heroes. We salute you for all the moments—the successes and the failures—you have been living. We know it has been hard!
Thank you for all that YOU do!
nice! parents really are front line heroes.
Thanks for this reminder and encouragement
Love this so uplifting
Wow this is a great article Di, so true and so hits home. As a grandparent I love to help them out and it has been a real struggle not being able to physically take care of the kids too. I had so much time off but I couldn’t be there physically for them. It’s so hard to to hug my kids and even harder not to hug my g kids. With all the hard work we have all done hopefully hugs will happen soon.