You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t!

Especially now that our kids’ lives are on the line here.

As schools begin to reopen for the new school year, there’s a whole host of decisions to consider. Kids have been at home for the longest and now we are debating how to balance the delicate nature of sending them into the masses and risk catching something, or keeping them at home and risk being left behind on schoolwork.

The anxiety is at 100 and things are getting real

So what now?

How do you reconcile these two worlds and remain sane enough to make the right choices for your family?

Let’s face it! This is not an anomaly anymore

We cannot wait it out and hope that at some point it will go away

This is the new normal

We have to accept that this change is here to stay.

It’s not a rehearsal, it’s the actual performance!

It’s the real deal

And instead of feeling stuck in a dilemma

Here’s five things that we can focus on to reassure ourselves and also support our kids as they adjust to the new routines

1. Take it one day at a time. Maintain an open mind and focus on the new opportunities to explore new learning methods

2. Request for details from schools but also be forgiving. We are all learning as we go

3. Prepare your kids for the new routine. Talk frequently about the changes and how to handle them, to reduce the anxiety

4. Explore a hybrid approach of classroom and online sessions, with the teachers and schools

5. Celebrate the small wins. For waking up even earlier than usual to adjust to the staggered school arrival time, For remembering to wash your hands immediately after getting back at home, For managing to keep the mask on the whole day at school, you name it! There’s nothing too small that it can’t be celebrated.

And above all, cut yourself some slack. You are doing an amazing job as it is!

What would you add?