Parenting During Covid-19

Keeping a child occupied during the lockdown is one of the more challenging tasks for a parent. Antara Pandit shares how she is decoding this ‘new normal’ that parents the world over are facing

- Antara Pandit

Adults thrive in the midst of routine and consistency. When we wake up in the morning, the last thing we want is to face uncertainty from any angle. We like to know what to expect.

So do children.

An excerpt from the book ‘Conscious Parenting’by Nuit says, ‘Be very attentive towards the child evolving World of Senses that needs stability, routine& structure, World of Emotions that needs love, freedom & creativity, and World of Thoughts that needs discrimination as an ability to choose right thinking, emotions, behaviour.’ The message from this seemed extremely applicable to the current that surrounds us all. During this time of social distancing and lockdown, paying attention to our children’s world of senses, emotions and thoughts is essential.

In times of uncertainty, a balanced routine and structure is crucial for children. For example, letting them know that mealtimes and bedtimes are fixed can work in their favour. Articles that have flooded social media and Google are advising us to disregard having any routine at all for children in the hope of reducing stress for parents during this time. While this is true in part and expecting to keep children occupied 24x7 is a bit of a stretch, neglecting structure completely will do more harm than good. It is time to slow down but not pause their routines completely.