How to Frame Your Response When Explaining Isolation to Kids

How do you talk to your child about social isolation? Today’s quick tip will give some ideas on how you can frame your answers to help lower everyone's anxiety.

TRANSCRIPT
As you’re entering week 2, 3 or even 4 of quarantine you may be asking yourself how will you be keeping it together for the next… insert indefinite amount of time.

Not knowing is probably one of the most stressful things to deal with right now. How long until we can see friends again? How long until my kids go back to school? How long until I can get my sanity back?I do not have answers to any of those, however, I do want to share some ideas on how you can answer your child when they ask you these exact same questions

A huge issue in many families right now is how to help their child understand and deal with this stage of isolation. You might be hearing, when will I get to see my friends again, when will we go to grandma’s house again or why can’t I have a birthday party? These questions are hard for us as adults to cope with and trying to answer them is pretty much impossible especially since the future is still so uncertain. So this just spirals into a rollercoaster of anxiety for everyone.

Now, how you respond to your children about this will look different in every family because everyone has different variables to consider. Explaining to a 2 year old why grandpa can’t come over is different than explaining to a 8 year old why her birthday party was cancelled which is different than explaining to a 14 year old why his middle school graduation was cancelled. These are all REALLY REALLY HARD conversations to have. So its understandable that this is one of the main issues parents are having a hard time dealing with.

On top of that since there has never been a situation such as this, there’s not really any research based advice on how to deal with it. So although I don’t have the verbatim answers for you, I hope today’s quick tip about what 3 things to consider when framing the response to your child about living in isolation are useful and can take some of that stress away. OK, so when deciding how to talk to your kids about quarantine, here are the 3 things to consider. 

First, consider that kids are resilient. They will come out of this experience stronger and the stress they are dealing with right now will prepare them for the future and will help build skills that are important in their adult life. 

Second, consider that honesty can help cope with anxiety. Being upfront with the fact that you too are uncertain about what will happen next will allow your child to trust you and take your lead. Third, make sure you’re allowing time for your child to tell you how he or she is feeling. Social connection is so important especially in such an uncertain time. Allowing for your child to connect with you and others through face time or zoom calls is really important in ensuring for your child that even though things look different now, there are still people who love you and care about you.

So when you need to answer your child’s questions, remember they are resilient. Remember that being honest will allow for a stronger relationship, and remember to make sure you are connecting with and listening to your child.This new reality is just that, something new we need to deal with, but we don't need to deal with it alone. Join us tomorrow for another quick tip on how to maintain your family sanity. I'm your host Naomi Bocaniciu you can learn more about me and this podcast on instagram @familysanitypodcast. Until next time, whether your family is going insane or you've got it all together, these are definitely times you will always remember.