Be agile.

Don’t get too attached to the decisions and opinions you held last week. You have to be prepared to change your mind upon learning new info.

Get rid of the goal of parental perfection.
We’re still living through a goddamn pandemic. Right now, good enough is good enough.

Focus on data.
It’s easy to get caught up in opinions, but focusing on hard stats instead will give an immediate sense of calm and focus.

Listen to scientists.
People who understand viruses and disease on a micro level are the ones who you should take advice from. From MDs to NDs to PHDs, their opinions matters most right now.

Focus on making small, reasonable, fact-based changes.  
(And stop Lysoling your groceries)

Be Kind.
Go out of your way to be supportive of other parents and when faced with the choice to be right or be kind, choose kindness – especially now.

Lean on empathy.
Commiserate with other parents about what a rollercoaster the past 6 months have been. Admit to yourself that despite your privileges (whatever they may be) this shit has been fucking hard. Use that experience to put yourself in the shoes of others.

Send kids off with an emotional vocabulary.
Give them an open invite to discuss how they’re feeling so they can tell you if the experience of pandemic school is having an adverse effect.

Send them off with some anti-racist vocabulary too. 
Make sure that at some point before they’re back in the classroom, you’ve spoken to them about race and privilege in an age appropriate way. Even kids going into JK can grasp that race and diversity are good but treating people poorly based on their race is bad. Older kids can handle conversations about systemic racism and their relationship to it. But across the board, kids should know that if they see something, they have to say something. Young ones can tell a teacher, older ones can be equipped with “interrupters” like:

“I’m sorry, what?”
“That’s not funny.”
“That’s not ok with me.”
“We don’t say things like that here.”

(these are great for calling out anything sexist, homo/transphobic or any other kind of bigotry)

Lead by example – from kindness to living “well” – your kids will learn from watching you, so get your shit together.

 

September, come at us.

xx RM