It may be likely to break into the familiar pattern of blaming one another, but we encourage you to make the most gracious and responsive interpretation.
Parenting is pretty difficult when both parents live in the same household. As after a divorce or separation, things can get even harder when they live apart.
Parents can sometimes disagree with additional layers of emotions such as anger, frustration, and sadness over such basic issues as sleep, nutrition, and discipline. These all can interfere with good communication and resolving issues.
Brisbane Family Lawyers provides few recommendations to keep in mind during COVID-19:
- Personal care
It is critical to find healthy ways to get self-care during stressful times. A number of strategies aren’t available to us during this time of social distancing and shelter, but we need to continue searching.
Enjoy the benefits of these strategies and others that could well work well for you, such as reading, going for a walk, calling a friend, and limiting coverage of news if it becomes daunting.
Help your children build a daily schedule to complete the school assignments and tasks, as well as other enjoyable activities. If you are uncertain about anything they need, talk to the school or teacher and pass this information on to the other parent if interaction between you is secure.
- Be patient
Be patient with yourself, your partner and your kids. Be gentle on yourself when things are not going according to plan. Be patient with your co-parent who may struggle, and need you to be a teammate for your kids’ sake. They’re facing a pandemic as well as missing their daily school schedules, relationships, and extracurricular activities. Elder kids are going to hear the news, and need help handling it.
Younger kids will feel the severe issues even if they don’t understand about the pandemic. Some kids will be more anxious or behaviour regressed. Adolescents can experience heightened irritability. Recognizing the origin of all this anxiety can help you to react more empathetically even if the behaviour drives you insane.
- Be transparent about health issues
Provide the other parent with honest information about any confirmed or suspected exposure to COVID-19 where you or the kids had access to that person, and find consensus on what steps each of you must take to protect your child from exposure. Do not wait for that information to be requested; be transparent and proactively share it. It needs to be noted to notify the other parent immediately if you or the child show any symptoms.
If, due to COVID-19 problems, a parent can not physically see the child during their scheduled parenting time, they should have reasonable video and phone contact with the child at a minimum.
- Be realistic
Keep your goals reasonable for yourself and your family. No parent trying to do both a job and a home school schedule at the same time is thrilled with their performance. See how and when your work can be done realistically. Be realistic about how your household will learn at home.
Staying stable during this period is critical physically as well as emotionally. Access your personal and professional support systems so you can keep on supporting your kids. Our world is changing every day and my hope is that you and your family will be careful while we all adapt.
Parents in the middle of a separation while still living together often experience extreme frustration and bitterness. It’s hard to avoid arguing — if you argue, try your best to do it in a way that children can’t see it, and they can’t hear. Get your cases in the kitchen, or barn, or back yard if you are in a home.
- Be flexible
You and your co-parent may be having new challenges to compete with. Many people lose their jobs, their wages and their health insurance. Those who are fortunate enough to still have their jobs often try to figure out how to do those jobs while at home and schooling their kids. Others are at the frontline of the situation. All will go as expected, but you need to be careful.
Drop-offs and pick-ups are not occurring at school or college and due to circumstances beyond your control one or both of you may be running late. It may be likely to break into the familiar pattern of blaming one another, but we encourage you to make the most gracious and responsive interpretation.
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