Whew! What an intense six months it has been. First off, I must apologize to all of you for going MIA during this time, but as a single mom who was home during five of those six months, directly due to the COVID-19 shutdown, with a three-year almost every day, I needed to focus on myself and my son, but I am excited and thankful to be back! I hope that all of you have been well (and healthy) during these trying times and that those of you with school-aged children who have just embarked on this crazy adventure of virtual school are staying (at least mostly) sane.

As mentioned above, these are trying times and I know that tension is high all around. Parents all over are doing their best to keep themselves and their families safe, yet it is so unclear what the best course of action is to accomplish that. Is it best to send children back to childcare and school or is it best to keep them home? Is it truly safe to meet up with friends or family members and arrange playdates for our children or is the risk too high? While valid questions, this is not what I would like to focus on tonight because honestly there is no right or wrong answer. We are all doing what we believe is best for ourselves and our families and no one deserves to be shamed for how they have decided to tackle these difficult decisions. Instead of discussing these controversial topics, I wanted to share an experience I had with my own son earlier this evening.

Parent, chef, teacher, referee, employee, housecleaner, nurse. As parents we are all of those things day in and day out, but now more than ever as our children have been mandated to be home from school due to COVID19. Today is the 13th day home and in my area schools are not scheduled to resume for another 12 days (though I have a strong feeling that the return date will be extended again and that we will be home for much longer). COVID19 has not only affected schools, but also many businesses which has forced some people, such as myself, into temporary unemployment while others are now working from home while trying to supervise their children while others are mandated to report to work causing a dilemma on how to provide childcare for their children with daycares and schools shut down. Some of you may be trying to keep up with your children's academics while others may be taking this time to relax with the family while others are just trying to get through each day one minute at a time. No matter what situation COVID19 has placed you into, we are all learning how to adapt our lives to our children being home much more than usual. Whether you have one child or multiple children, parents everywhere are feeling the stress brought on by this dramatic change, but we will get through this. One strategy to help us get through this time is to help our children become their own problem solvers rather than them running to us for their every need.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago on the WILDtoCHILD Facebook community group, when your child is throwing a tantrum it isn’t because he/she is trying to be difficult and make you question your parenting skills, it’s because he/she is having a hard time balancing all the different emotions he/she are currently feeling and/or having a hard time communicating what those feelings are and/or what is needed or wanted. In order to really help your child through the tantrum, it is important to be able to take a deep breath and dig down deep to understand the WHY behind the tantrum. I know that this can be difficult when your child is screaming and crying and possibly even becoming violent - and can even be embarrassing if in public, but with a few tips and techniques I am positive that you and your child will get through these tantrums together. ​