Helping Your Children Stay Upbeat During COVID-19

Parental reassurance is key, says a Henry Ford psychotherapist

DETROIT - Spring break, canceled. School academic competitions and sports championships, postposed, or possibly scraped for the remainder of the school year. It’s all enough to leave children and teens feeling disappointed, frustrated and occasionally, bored. Children too young to understand what coronavirus and social distancing all is about may be confused by abruptly not being able to play with their friends or visit with older family members and get hugs and kisses.

As is age appropriate, it is important that parents talk with their children and teenagers about COVID-19 and why certain changes in daily activities are necessary. Parents should acknowledge concerns their children might express and reassure them that the changes in their lives are to keep them safe and healthy.

In this time of social distancing and now Michigan’s stay-at-home order, parents must monitor the fine line between distancing and isolation, particularly for teens who may not be having face to face interactions with anyone, including their family.

While every teenager and every child are different, it is important for parents to build socialization into their children’s day now that they are not in school or spending time with their friends. “Schedule family dinner, game or fitness time into each day to get kids out of the room, says Ashton Taylor, a psychotherapist at Henry Ford Medical Center-Columbus in Novi.

“You don’t want to push teens too much and flip their world upside down more than it is, but parents should not allow teens to stay in their room all day, every day,” she says. “That amount of isolation is unhealthy and can lead to mental health concerns.”

It is very important to stick to a schedule and maintain established rules. Parents should establish consistent times for learning, play and screen time. Keep a schedule for breaks, meals and sleep too, so that when children eventually return to school, they don’t have to start over with getting into a routine.

Families spending more time together than usual is an adjustment for everyone. Parents must remember to stay calm, care for the needs of others and take time for themselves to rejuvenate their energies. Try some mindfulness and relaxation techniques when stress escalates, Taylor says.

Taylor offers these three tips for parents and children to decrease stress:

• Get outside. Even if it's cold out, bundle up and take a walk around the neighborhood, while making sure you are practicing social distancing. Get creative incorporate using school bleachers into your workout. Getting fresh air is very, very necessary.
• Limit news. Things are literally changing every hour and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. It’s so easy to let that consume you.
• Have fun. Make up for the canceled sporting activities by creating a family sports league in the home.

Something to keep in mind to is that social media and the internet can be a blessing and a curse. Parents will want to make sure that children and teens are not seeing things on social media or the internet, things that can create more fear. “I always tell parents that they need to be monitoring what their children are doing on social media and who they are talking to, and now more than ever because they have so much down time” says Taylor. “It’s a matter of getting back to that structure and routine, for example saying, between 6 and 8 p.m. is your social media, internet or video game time.”

Parents should be a good role models for their children who pick up on what they see adults doing. Parents who are working from home should share with their children that they are going into the office or their room to work on the laptop for their job. “You want to avoid sending the message that you’re binge watching TV shows all day or lying in bed emailing friends,” Taylor said.

Daily Education Resources for parents can be found at:

• Detroit Public Television offers daily newsletter with education resources for children and parents.
• The National Museum of Natural History.
• View the Detroit Zoo’s live animal cams and videos.
• Scholastic Learn at Home

Online Mental Health Resources:

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Many school districts also provide many online and community resources.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 visit:

• cdc.gov/coronavirus
• henrryford.com/coronavirus

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MEDIA CONTACT: Synthia Bryant / 313.874.4036 / sbryant3@hfhs.org