{"id":1752,"date":"2020-04-30T11:16:59","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T11:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=1752"},"modified":"2020-04-30T18:34:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T18:34:33","slug":"pandemic-life-lessons-for-our-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2020\/04\/pandemic-life-lessons-for-our-kids.html","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic Life Lessons for Our Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"pandemic<\/a>
Photo by Emma Bauso from Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shortly after my daughter\u2019s school closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, her history teacher sent his students an email.\u00a0 In the email, he advised them that, as a result of the pandemic, they currently are living through a historic period in time.\u00a0\u00a0 He was right.\u00a0 We are.<\/p>\n

Within the span of six weeks, a highly contagious virus has taken over our world.\u00a0 It sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it is our new reality.<\/p>\n

Given this seminal moment in history, if there was ever a time to teach our children some life lessons, it is now<\/em>.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t simply a period of inconvenience.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t simply an unfortunate time during which your children can\u2019t go to school, participate in group sports or have play dates.\u00a0 It is a historic period during which humanity\u2019s morals are being tested.<\/p>\n

As parents, we now have the opportunity to use this pandemic as a teachable moment for our children.\u00a0 This is an opportunity to talk to our children about what it means to be a decent human being.\u00a0 Below are some ways to use this period in history to teach your children some very important life lessons.<\/p>\n

Lesson 1 \u2013 You Have A Responsibility to Help Other People<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Children can be self-centered.\u00a0 Their worlds revolve around me, myself and I.\u00a0 Of course, to a limited extent, children may worry about mom, dad and their siblings.\u00a0 But they tend not to be concerned about much else.<\/p>\n

Teaching our children to care about other people, especially people they don\u2019t know is important.\u00a0 It is a critical part of their becoming good citizens.\u00a0 And the first place they learn how to do that is at home.<\/p>\n

The \u201cshelter in place\u201d rules are a great opportunity to teach your children about their responsibility to other people.\u00a0 The purpose of these rules isn\u2019t simply to keep us from catching the virus.\u00a0 Their purpose is also so that we don\u2019t spread the virus to others, whether they be family members or complete strangers.<\/p>\n

So, explain to your children that by staying at home, they are doing their part to prevent the spread of the virus.\u00a0 Simply put, if they don\u2019t get the virus, then they can\u2019t spread it to others.\u00a0 They also don\u2019t have to go to the hospital for treatment and thereby burden our already overburdened medical system.<\/p>\n

When your child shelters in place, he or she is protecting and helping others.\u00a0 Many of those people may be folks your child doesn\u2019t even know.\u00a0 And that makes your child a mini-hero!<\/p>\n

Lesson 2 \u2013 Good People Sacrifice for Others<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I know of a family who, in the middle of March, decided that they could not give up their spring break vacation to Florida.\u00a0 They lived in a state where they had been ordered to \u201cshelter in place.\u201d\u00a0 But they decided to violate this rule and go on their vacation anyway.<\/p>\n

So, the parents and their three children got on a plane.\u00a0 And it was exciting.\u00a0 They took photos of their (not surprisingly) empty plane, and they posted their photos on social media, with the comment, \u201cLook!\u00a0 We have the plane all to ourselves!\u201d\u00a0 Then they went and enjoyed a beach vacation in Florida.\u00a0 On their vacation, they joined many other people for whom sheltering in place was just too much of a sacrifice<\/em>.<\/p>\n

My first thought when I learned about this family was this: \u201cWhat are these parents teaching their children?\u201d\u00a0 They were teaching their children that their vacation<\/em> was more important than other people\u2019s lives.<\/em>\u00a0 It was an extraordinary lesson to give impressionable, young children.<\/p>\n

Good people are willing to sacrifice for others.\u00a0 Our nation\u2019s history is built upon that very concept.\u00a0 Our greatest heroes have been those people who put aside their own selfish needs to serve others.<\/p>\n

So, during this pandemic, when we as families are \u201csheltering in place,\u201d explain to your children that their sacrifice of staying at home is important!\u00a0 Of course, it may not feel very good right now.\u00a0 No child likes giving up things that they enjoy.\u00a0 But by sacrificing those things that they love \u2013 whether they be playdates, sports activities or vacations<\/em> \u2013 our children are learning something important.\u00a0 They are learning that sacrificing for others is what high quality, decent people do.<\/p>\n

Lesson 3 \u2013 Learn to Be Adaptable<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unsuccessful people have trouble adapting.\u00a0 Instead, they dig in their heels.\u00a0 They demand that life goes their way.\u00a0 And when it doesn\u2019t, they fall apart.<\/p>\n

Successful people know how to adapt to life\u2019s changing circumstances.\u00a0 They figure out how to be successful and happy, no matter what is going on.\u00a0 So, if you want to teach your children to be successful, you need to teach them the very important skill of adaptability.<\/p>\n

Clearly, the coronavirus pandemic is testing our children\u2019s ability to adapt.\u00a0 It is testing whether our children can figure out how to learn, even when they aren\u2019t in a classroom setting.\u00a0 The quarantine is showing whether they can find positive ways to entertain themselves, even when they don\u2019t have extracurricular activities or play dates.\u00a0 This experience is telling us whether our children are good at adapting to new life circumstances.<\/p>\n

Of course, none of us enjoys change.\u00a0 To a certain extent, we all resist it.\u00a0 But as a parent, you have to push you kids to learn how to adapt.\u00a0 While being quarantined, most children initially will whine, tell you that they can\u2019t figure stuff out, and complain that they are bored.\u00a0\u00a0 But it is important to push them to adapt to these new circumstances.<\/p>\n

Frankly, if your children can\u2019t do something as simple as learn how to entertain themselves during a quarantine, how are they going to manage life?\u00a0 Life is going to toss much tougher circumstances at them.\u00a0 Better that they learn now<\/em> how to be flexible.\u00a0 Otherwise, when they are 35-years-old and have real problems, they won\u2019t know how to manage.<\/p>\n

The coronavirus pandemic is a period in our nation\u2019s history when we have a unique opportunity to impart some important life lessons to our children.\u00a0 As parents, we should take advantage of this time to talk to our children about the bigger life issues \u2013 our responsibility to others, what it means to be a good citizen and how to be flexible.\u00a0 If we do so, my hope is that this next generation will be just a little bit kinder, more compassionate and more generous.<\/p>\n

Email: meerabelle@meerabelledey.com<\/p>\n

If you would like to receive my free e-book, “The Confidence Course,” and sign up for my weekly newsletter, go to meerabelledey.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shortly after my daughter\u2019s school closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, her history teacher sent his students an email.\u00a0 In the email, he advised them that, as a result of the pandemic, they currently are living through a historic period in time.\u00a0\u00a0 He was right.\u00a0 We are. Within the span of six weeks,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":1758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPandemic Life Lessons for Our Kids - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This pandemic is a great opportunity to teach our children valuable lessons. 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