With the pandemic hitting us a few months ago, life has become severe. It has affected everyone differently but significantly children and teenagers.
Teenagers are active, and they have a lot going on in their lives due to which they are always busy, but after the pandemic, they are mostly locked at home, and not being able to do all the things you wanted can be frustrating and can make you depressed.
As a result, many parents don’t know how to help such parents; I have collected seven different ways to help your teenagers cope with social distancing blues. I hope it helps you more than it helped me, and if it does, don’t forget to share,
Celebrate in different ways:
Teenagers are very active and want to go on big trips, fancy parties, and maybe the cinema. There are many other traditions such as them being graduated, the grand senior prom, and then the much-awaited graduation, but with whatever that has been going around in the world, these things will be postponed and canceled, which can be heartbreaking as these are once in a lifetime sort of things but not to worry there are many other ways through which one can celebrate.
As parents, you can show them that they can celebrate with all their friends through video call, zoom call or FaceTime. Always remember that you should not force your children to do this but can always put the idea out there; the best part is that teenagers are comfortable with technology so that it won’t be hard for them. Furthermore, remind them repeatedly that all of this is temporary and the minute things get better, you will throw them a proper celebration with all their friends invited to make up for all that they lost.
Create schedules and stick to them:
Due to the pandemic, every child, teenager, and adult routine is a mess that needs to change, and as a parent, you will be the one who needs to step up. Sit down with your teenager and make a schedule where you divide their hours into school hours, nap hours, play hours, video game hours, and food time.
Following the routine will be challenging initially, but once the children get to see how much more gets done this way, they will start to love it; however, you must remember that a lot of pushing will be required to shape them into the routine and keeping them productive will not be an easy task. Still, you will be able to do it if you stay healthy and on your point. The more they stick to the schedule, the better they will be doing.
Never lose empathy:
Parents today have a bigger responsibility as there are too many things around to distract teenagers, making them ungrateful. Parents should keep reminding their children how grateful they should be for being healthy and alive during the pandemic.
They should tell them that people have lost jobs, lost their lives, and lost houses, but they get to eat whatever they want and then sleep on a soft bed more than enough. Try to listen to your teenagers if they tell you something regarding their lives and try to be empathetic to learn the skill and then practice in their lives.
Go outside but don’t cross the set limits:
This pandemic has been challenging for every person as lives have changed, and many have even lost their lives. Therefore, it is important to breathe in fresh air so that mental and physical health is maintained. Set a time of thirty to sixty minutes a day and take yourself and the teenagers out, request them to leave their electronics inside the house.
You can go for a walk or run; you can go for a drive; you can go on a hike and find a silent spot and sit there and admire nature’s view. Maintain social distance and time should be enjoyed. Furthermore, to bond, you can set up dinner at the balcony, which the entire family can enjoy while bonding and trust me after a long day of work, this will help you relax and untangle.
Make full use of technology:
Never forget that technology plays a very important role in our lives due to which it can never be completely ignored.
You can let your children enjoy Netflix and other social media platforms and make sure you know what they are doing and their activities. You can set a time of one to two hours during which they can enjoy whatever they want, and once they are done, no more technology. Motivate them to learn different things, such as painting or baking from the internet to promote the internet’s healthy use. They can also do video calls with their friends to stay connected.
Keep a look for signs of depression and anxiety:
The pandemic hit us a few months ago, and since then, many people have lost their lives, and others are still fighting. All of this can be a lot to handle for the children; therefore, it is important to keep a look for signs of depression. Educate yourself on what depression is and what are the different symptoms that are experienced by teenagers.
Don’t panic if they want to be left alone in their room or don’t want to eat as these can be normal things, but if the same keeps happening for more than a month, you should consult a professional. If you are an adult, you can visit https://kootenaybotanicals.com/ as they have the best deals on products advised by doctors that can help adults deal with their depression and anxiety, but for a teenager, a doctor must be consulted and don’t self-medicate them.
Shared activities:
Since the family can’t go on a trip this year, many other shared activities can promote bonding and make sure everyone is spending time with each other.
Amongst many things, you can keep a game night and a movie night where every member gets a turn to decide a movie or a board game. You can have brunch in the yard on Sundays, and you can have contests in which the entire family has to participate.
To sum it all up, life is short, but we are all so busy with our lives that we hardly find the time to do something together. This pandemic has been a huge pain, but at the same time, it has made us realize how much the little things matter, so make sure that every week you at least take out an entire day with the family so that you can bond and stay connected during bad and good times.
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