pandemic parenting

Photo: Eric Francis (Shutterstock)The other day, my 10-year-old said something that broke my heart a bit: “This pandemic has taken all of our holiday traditions away from us.” Maybe it hasn’t taken all of our traditions, but it certainly has taken a lot of them. We couldn’t travel to see my family for Thanksgiving. The…

Photo: Nancy Catherine Walker (Shutterstock)Do you remember when a snow day would feel like such an inconvenience? HowEVER will I work with these children underfoot all DAY, you moaned to yourself. Imagine if someone had told us way back in 2019 that it could be worse—you could have what amounted to a year’s worth of…

Photo: Stanisic Vladimir (Shutterstock)Although the pandemic has sought to affect as many aspects of our lives as possible, we’ve also gotten pretty good at finding virtual workarounds for all the things we are missing out on—including, now, visits with Santa.The last thing we want is for Santa or his helpers to be traveling the world…

Photo: Kichigin (Shutterstock)Over the summer, when it became clear that my 10-year-old son’s school district was going to offer both face-to-face and virtual options for returning to school in the fall, his mom and I wanted him to feel like he had input into whatever decision was made. My son is shy and introverted, but…

Photo: olgashevtsova (Shutterstock)Setting reasonable rules and boundaries, which you then enforce consistently, is the cornerstone of good parenting. On the other hand, life is tedious right now. It’s all dark and dreary and distanced, and we could use a little fun. Which is why it might be time to bend your own rules a bit.I’m…

Photo: Subbotina Anna (Shutterstock)Your kids might be concerned about Santa’s annual trip around the world this year—and rightfully so. We’ve just spent months explaining why they can’t go to school, gymnastics class, summer camp, their friend’s house, grandma’s house, or anywhere else, really. You’ve told them why you won’t be traveling to visit family for…

Photo: Lew Robertson (Getty Images)Thanksgiving is a bit of a weird holiday for me. When I was growing up, and all through college, it involved having the same meal every year at my grandparents’ house. But after college, when I moved across the country for a job at a newspaper, things got wonky. That first…

Photo: Billion Photos (Shutterstock)I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our kids’ teachers have been through a lot this year. Sure, we all have been through a lot, but these people are warriors. They’re Zooming with 20 fidgety, distracted first graders every single day for hours on end. Or they’re putting their own health at…

Photo: Yaw Niel (Shutterstock)This year has been full of sacrifices and impossible choices, but it’s not quite done with us yet. If you have kids who are away at college, you may now be facing the pandemic’s latest conundrum: Do you have them come home and risk everybody infecting each other, or do you tell…

Photo: Suzanne Tucker (Shutterstock)The pandemic has taken so much from us—but do you know what it doesn’t have to take? Our kid’s awkwardly posed school pictures (complete with traditional blue or grey background), that’s what.Some kids who are in school full-time or part-time may still have had their traditional school picture day this fall. But…