LIFESTYLE | opinion www.womanthismonth.com February 2022 69 Parents shouldn’t feel guilty that they aren’t doing enough. When the pandemic is over, schools will have to meet the children wherever they are. Kids are resilient and they’ll undoubtedly get the knowledge they need. Right now, the main focus should be making them feel loved, secure and safe amidst these disruptions. Learning can’t occur until those things are in place What’s my advice? Stop worrying about when you should start panicking and rest assured that even if your children fall behind, they will catch up! The other point parents seem to forget about is that children’s cognitive learning is built on a secure emotional foundation. If they continually see their parents unhappy or anxious, it can start to inhibit their own development. That’s worrying because this is a really stressful time for parents. It can be hard to maintain a calm and attentive climate for kids when parents must take over schooling. When parents lose their patience or don’t listen, children can start to shut down emotionally, in turn disengaging from all learning experiences. Therefore, giving your child all the support they need emotionally and mentally and offering them a healthier and more stimulating learning environment is all that your child needs right now. So, for parents wondering whether their kids will ever catch up, it might be more efficient to ask instead: How do we ensure that our children get the best possible opportunities to learn under these challenging circumstances? One thing most parents seem to overlook is that all kids are currently facing the same ordeal, so when your kid goes back to school, chances are his/her classmates will be at the same level or as you would might think of it – ‘behind’. Therefore, schools will have to adapt to this new situation and come up with a new system that will ensure they get all the support they need.
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