Milena Djankovic: Things to do when you quarantine with your kids

With cities going on lockdown and the threat of becoming sick of Covid-19 very real, authorities may request even schools and offices to close. Although the upside of this is that moms have time to bond with our kids, we must spend time with them in a more mindful, empathetic, and nuanced way without resorting to blanket positivity.

According to Milena Djankovic, hereunder are the things we can do to teach our children how to get through during difficult times like the ongoing health crisis.

Take time to listen to your children

Your children will likely have questions running through their minds, as well as fears and anxieties regarding the health situation and school closures. As a mother, you are the most important person and foundation of their lives, so they’ll likely run to you for answers and reassurance. While it’s easy to turn them away because we have our own issues about the situation, it’s better to temper our own fears and listen to the kids. Make sure they feel like you’ve heard them by acknowledging what they feel, empathizing with them, and comforting them, says Milena Djankovic.

Answer their questions and correct any misconceptions

It’s likely that your kids’ imaginations are running wild because of the many things they see and hear over the Internet about Covid-19. This is normal since it’s natural for children to be curious. However, before their strange ideas carry them in strange directions, you should take the time to talk to them about any ideas they might have about the pandemic. By grounding them and teaching them facts and answering any questions they might have, they’ll be prepared to handle events internally.

Teach healthy habits

Milena Djankovic adds that although comforting your kids and giving them the right ideas go a long way, it’s best to arm them with actionable knowledge so they could best protect and manage themselves during a health crisis like what we’re going through now. One of the first things you should be teaching is personal hygiene, as the proper washing of hands, disinfecting their things, etc. You should also talk about social distancing and wearing the right kinds of masks. Milena Djankovic says these are hard lessons to learn during this time but with your guidance, the habits they pick up may help save other people’s lives not just their own.

Currently, we’re in the middle of tough times and what’s difficult is we’re facing something microbial and widespread. It’s something that we need to handle with openness, empathy, kindness, and transparency in order to overcome. These are important values in better times but it might take difficult times like these in order to teach them and learn them. Let your kids learn them now under your guidance, adds Milena Djankovic.