Parents as Role Models

“This is an anxiety-provoking time, so it’s important to take care of our own mental health, whether that’s accessing a care provider by telemedicine, enjoying our favorite comfort food or going for a daily walk — whatever it is that works for us, given the parameters of social distancing or even shelter-in-place requirements” (Terri Peters, Today article).

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Parents need to ensure that they are taking care of themselves physically and mentally. Parents should try to include self-care activities in their own daily schedules. This is easily ignored or forgotten because parents tend to be so worried about ensuring that their children are physically and mentally safe. Parents need to incorporate this same type of care for themselves in their daily schedules. Because the situations associated with this pandemic are so new and unfamiliar, children are especially going to be looking to their parents in order to determine how to react. When parents appear to be calm and anxiety-free, children are more likely to model this behavior.