The coronavirus quarantine is affecting everyone, especially parents who are now dealing with children of all ages at home with very little to do with their time. In an effort to help parents, I asked a few parents, with children of all ages, from the Renaissance Publishing team how they are coping with the current coronavirus situation.

 

Kim Singletary, editor of Biz New Orleans, responded with these tips for how she and her nine-year-old daughter Avery are dealing with COVID-19:

  1. Get outside as much as possible. We’ve scootered/roller skated, we go on neighborhood walks in the morning and did a family walk around Lafreniere Park identifying birds and plants with the app iNaturalist.
  2. Set a daily routine. Ours is posted in the dining room where we hang out a lot. We roughly follow it. Big part is getting outside twice a day and waking up and getting dressed by 8:30.
  3. Cosmic Kids Yoga – Free on YouTube. Great evening wind down for the whole family.
  4. Stay in touch with other moms and let kids Skype/facetime.
  5. DON’T Feel guilty – for extra wine, too much tv, anything. We’re all in survival mode.

Ashley McLellan, editor of New Orleans Magazine, has two teenage sons, which you could imagine would be difficult to connect with during quarantine. Here’s what she said is helping her family:

  1. Minecraft, continues to be a favorite because it’s creative
  2. Jigsaw puzzle with family, sounds boring, but most kids love this, and its relaxing
  3. Chopped Challenge: Help by creating a meal with what’s on hand cook or bake something sweet
  4. Taking the dog for a walk, helping take care of a chore while getting exercise
  5. Yoga, if they are into that, there are lots of videos online. I really like “Yoga with Adrienne,” which I highly recommend.
  6. Binge-watch a movie or tv series.  We recently watched the Avenger movies start to finish in order.

Suzanne Tafur is a freelancer and former part-time employee of RenPub. Suzanne has a toddler and a newborn, which you could imagine could be tough to navigate in the current climate.

Here’s what she said:

  1. Take a walk – He has short legs so we can only walk a few blocks, but it takes a good amount of time because he likes to stop and look at things along the way – fire hydrants, lawn decorations, flowers, etc. And we talk. It’s better than chasing after him on his bike.
  2. Bake or cook together – I’ll stick with something very simple, like pigs in a blanket. I cut the biscuit dough and let him wrap it around the sausage. (This can backfire. If he’s having trouble because the dough is too sticky or whatever, he gets really mad.)
  3. FaceTime a friend – A mom friend of mine suggested this today. Her daughter is in Santi’s class, and since they can’t have a playdate, we let them FaceTime each other for a few minutes. It’s also helpful for me to remember that other moms are in the same challenging situation.
  4. Bubble baths – We usually do quick baths before bedtime, so Santi loves a long leisurely bubble bath every now and then. I fill the tub with toys and play music.
  5. Simple puzzles and books – We can usually commit to one short puzzle game, and he’d be happy if I read to him all day. Sometimes he flips through books and narrates his own story.
  6. Hula hoops – We have a few hula hoops lying around the house from Mardi Gras. He doesn’t actually hula, but he likes to toss and chase them. Whatever works.
  7. Building “bridges” “houses” “train tracks” – He lines up pillows, packs of toilet paper, toys – anything he can find basically. See below for an example. This leaves the house a bit of mess, but it keeps him busy for a solid 20 minutes, so I don’t mind.