America’s Current State of Affairs

It goes without saying: America’s current state of affairs is very concerning during this point in time. Hell, downright scary. In my 42 years, I’ve never lived through a worse time.

We’re living in such a sharply, racially divided country. Unemployment rates are as high as they’ve ever been. The unjustifiable killing of Black people in this country continues at an alarming rate. Under our Nation’s current leadership, domestic terrorism is celebrated and rewarded. The political climate is even nastier than usual with the upcoming Presidential election.

Friends listen, I’ve even taken to avoiding the news as the top national stories and headlines honestly sadden me.

Oh yeah and not to mention; we’re in the midst of a full blown pandemic and our children are expected to return to school.

Really, how are we to navigate these trying times?

A Parent’s Concerns

Myself, along with thousands of parents across the country, struggle with the thought of having to send our children off to school as COVID-19 rates are on the rise in many parts of the country. Fortunately, I’m in New York, where we went from an Epicenter to the lowest rates in the nation.

I think about parents who live in Florida. The state has now surpassed New York, to become the state with the second most COVID-19 cases in the nation. Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis though, signed an executive order requiring schools to open for traditional in-person learning.

Talk about worry? At least here in NY – my children will be following a hybrid model, which only puts them in school two days a week, while the other three days are virtual learning.

Our Children’s Safety

Biggest concern with school reopening revolves around the safety of our children. The Coronavirus is highly infectious. There is a valid concern among parents about our children getting infected and bringing the virus home to infect others.

Will our schools apply enough safety measures to to keep the risk of infection relatively low for our children? What about logistics? For those with younger children, do they have the aptitude to keep masks on their faces for eight hours a day?

For me, my youngest son is ten and quite energetic, I’m wondering if he can keep from rubbing his eyes or touching is face? Are our children going to remember to wash and sanitize their hands often?

The worries continue because as parents, we’re in a space where we don’t feel in control in any parts of this situation. I know as a mother, I feel a sense of helplessness.

In the end, most parents are not OK with exposing our children to COVID-19 by sending them to school. However, many parents don’t have the resources available to home school.

As parents making the choice to send our children to school in the midst of a pandemic, we have to find ways to cope. Find ways to not only mentally deal with the risk of exposure to our children, but creating a routine that will give us some sense of control over a situation we feel like, we can’t control.

Coping with Schools Reopening

Some strategies to deal with the reopening of schools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prayer
I believe in the power of prayer. Prayer plus faith is added protection my children so desperately need. I’m praying over my children every morning before they head to school. Plus, It will make my boys feel better. Deuteronomy 31:6

The Candid COVID-19 Conversation
Have a candid conversation with your children. Make sure they understand what COVID-19 is and how it’s spread. Discuss COVID-19 symptoms. Explain they are going back to school in the middle of a pandemic. Talk about precautions they need to take to minimize risk of contracting Coronavirus. Now isn’t the time to play coy, our kids needs to be armed with knowledge & awareness going back to school.

Establish a Routine
Children work best when they know what to expect. My boys will be in school for only two days a week while the rest of the days in the week will be virtual learning. Establishing a routine to navigate this new schedule is essential. Days should be structured so that they know what time they’ll be up, time allotted for breakfast and when they’ll need to be signed in to begin virtual learning on days they’ll be home. Creating a calendar is an effective visual to help establish a routine.

Pack the Essentials
Make sure you pack the essentials for your children. Now, school supply lists will include PPE (personal protection equipment). Your children’s backpacks should include hand sanitizer, disposal gloves and masks. Make sure they have extra supplies like pencils and pens. In this age of Coronavirus, there’s no such thing as borrowing anymore. Make sure your child has spares to give away as needed.

Temperature Checks
Daily temperature checks are essential during this time. Take your children’s temperature daily. A temperature of 100.4 means your child needs to stay home and seek medical attention. I know myself, I’m taking temperatures before sending them off to school in the morning. A digital thermometer like this one from Femometer does the trick and is cost effective at roughly $10.

Don’t Forget Your Mental Health
The kids going back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic is stressful both for parents and children alike. Let’s not forget or ignore the mental health aspect. The Center for Disease control and Prevention has resources such as CDC Stress and Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic and CDC Children’s Mental Health, to help.

I believe most parents would agree that if we could help it, we wouldn’t increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 by sending our children back to school. However, many of us have no choice. As for myself, this blissfully single parent has a plan in place to help navigate this worrisome transition and as a parent, you should have a plan in place too.

Blissfully Single and Yours,