Family & Social Child Developement

2020 has been a roller coaster of a year. As unprecedented as it was, as the year is coming to a close, it’s dawning on us that it was also a year of learning and new life lessons we didn’t know we needed. Now that we made it through the strangest year most of us have ever known, here are some parenting mantras we thought fit to carry over from the year 2020 to the next year.

One day a time:

Even though it’s a different year, in many ways or at least some, the year 2021 won’t be much different from the year we’ve just been through. We’re uncertain how things will shape up, social distancing might still be a norm for some months to come, we’re not sure of when schools will resume full time. To think of it all at once can seem daunting. Here’s THE mantra that can keep you sane and help you to not feel overwhelmed: One day a time. Plan for the day, for the week at the most. This way you don’t have to mentally overload yourself with situations that aren’t in your control. Planning for just one day at a time can help break down the large responsibilities and time frames into smaller and more manageable tasks.

Be kind to yourself:

‍We’re in a new normal. When schools resume, work from home ceases to be the norm or life goes back to the usual that we once knew, there will be changes to adapt to, once again. It’s going to take a bit of time, it’s going to take a lot of patience and it’s going to be some effort. Be kind to yourself through it all. You are doing your best in the circumstances thrown at you, most that might seem unfamiliar and challenging. We are learning too, and just because we are parents doesn’t mean we have the answers to everything.  

Stay hopeful:

When 2020 unravelled into the year that it turned out to be, we mentally prepared ourselves to just get done with it, telling ourselves that the new year would be the solution to our woes. Here we are, stepping into the new year and our world is still grappling with the pandemic and the side effects it brought on. Stay hopeful. Things are getting better, we are gaining more knowledge and awareness about the pandemic and our children are adapting well. We’ve come so far, we’ll make it through.

Make time:

One of the biggest lessons 2020 taught us was the gift of time. Let’s carry that on to the year 2021. Let’s give our children the gift of our time, to leave aside our gadgets and to enjoy their company, to make memories making and eating meals together, to know our kids as they are. This can be the biggest gift we can give our children and the most rewarding too. Years later, when they’re all grown up, they might not remember the pandemic much, but they’ll sure remember all the memories you made together as a family.

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