Social distancing isn't easy for anyone with kids. Whether it's a newborn who doesn't get to see their extended family just yet or a 7-year-old who wasn't able to finish up school and say goodbye to their classmates. All of us are going through challenges right now.
However, there are certain ways you can boost your child's self-esteem while also staying realistic. Just ask Katie Eborall, a mom of two. Katie — and other parents of siblings — has it extra rough. She knows firsthand that kids have a lot of energy that is often hard to burn off at home. And her children are definitely at that high-energy stage in life. Her son Max is 4, and her daughter Evia is 2.
Living in Leeds, England, Max and Evia have a ton of ideas on how they can spend their days. However, all of them are impractical at the moment based on worldwide health concerns. So Katie has managed to find the best way to keep her kids from being disappointed. It includes a family bucket list jar, something that any parent can easily make for themselves.
"We’ve started a new thing in our house today and sharing it in case anyone else wants to try," Katie wrote on Facebook back on March 24. "Every time we wish we could do something, go somewhere, treat ourselves, see someone we love, visit a new place, invite people to visit us, we’re going to write it down on a post-it note and put it in a jar." Katie included photos in her post as a good reference.
"When all this is over this will be our bucket list and we’ll work our way through the jar and be more grateful than ever for the little and lovely things in our lives," she continued. "Until then we’ll enjoy watching the jar fill up with magical things to look forward to." For people who have been putting off planning vacations due to uncertainty, this is a great idea.
Katie's post blew up overnight. At the time of writing, it had over 144,000 shares from other parents who've been looking for good ideas for their kids. It's a wonderful suggestion for a few reasons. For one, her children feel like they're being heard and know their wishes will someday be granted.
For children, it's also a better answer than "no." If you feel like you have no control over anything in life right now, just think about the kids. Even simple activities like playing in a park are suddenly off limits. With Katie's tactic, this method will likely reduce the number of tears and tantrums that may happen.
In general, parents are stuck in a tough place. Reason being, they don't exactly know when the social distancing limitations could end. It could be the end of May, or it could be August. For all of us, it's a waiting game. And for kids, who often have less patience and crave routine, that's not necessarily a satisfying answer.
And that's one of the reasons that inspired Katie to create the bucket list jar. "Because my kids are so young, they don’t really understand what’s going on at the moment," Katie told Good Morning America. "All they know is that we’re having to say no to a lot of things that … wouldn’t normally be an issue, so it's quite confusing for them."
Katie and her kids will have a jar filled with wonderful ideas for when the social distancing regulations are lifted. That means that they'll never have a dull weekend again. In fact, they may be able to catch up and make 2020 a lot more fun in the near future.
So far, Katie has been overwhelmed by the response to her post. What started as a small idea became something that every parent could easily create at home. And even better, the jar isn't just for kids. If you're an adult and feeling restless, the idea of jotting down fun plans for the future may be just what you need to lift your spirits.
"To say the last few days have been mental is an understatement," Katie said. "My Facebook post about creating a bucket list in a jar during these difficult times went viral, with almost 100k shares, interest from media, invites to write guest blogs from as far away as Canada, charities and psychologists wanting to share and complete strangers from as near as my own village and far as Australia, South Africa and the US messaging me to express thanks and love for what we’re doing." This, in itself, is proof that social media can be an incredible resource.
"I never thought our little idea would travel so far and I’m so happy that it might be bringing a small amount of joy to a whole lot of people (particularly to children who don’t really know what’s going on which was what inspired the whole thing in the first place). Thanks to everyone who has shared, shown support and embraced this idea," she continued. "It just goes to show in the face of a crisis we’re all human and we all need a bit of hope right now."
That's one of the good things to come out of this situation. In general, people seem to be much more kind. While we all need a mood booster to successfully get through this, it's rare for us to be part of a situation that the whole world can relate to. It's possible we'll all come through this as changed people, having more appreciation for the little things in life.
We may end up embracing social events differently. Instead of staying at home and missing out, it's possible we'll view the invitation as a gift. And since everyone is working from home, it's possible that we'll all have more appreciation for each other's hectic lives outside of the office.
It's also a big lesson as to how important these outings are for children. While we can try to create wonderful learning experiences and beautiful memories from the comforts of home, there's a lot to gain by going to the zoo or aquarium for a weekend. Being able to go out and experience the world away from a screen will one day make for quite a fulfilling adventure.
In the meantime, as we all wait this out, take this as an opportunity to dream up an idea as heartfelt and genuine as Katie's. Any sort of activity to help children process this time away from friends and loved ones will be a big help. We're all in this together.
