Healthy Parenting Strategies For Handling The Coronavirus Lockdown | Anthony Rao | Episode 119

Healthy parenting during the Coronavirus lockdown has some challenges. Our kids are feeling a lot of different emotions. They are dealing with a lack of routine and they get tired of being locked down with us. But there are things parents can do, and things we shouldn’t even worry about. Behavioral therapist Anthony Rao joins Mighty Parenting host Sandy Fowler to discuss healthy parenting strategies for the pandemic. Find out what’s most important and the things you can do to help your child and yourself through this historical time

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A Favorite Quote from the Show: 

“Parents need to cut ourselves a serious break… We need to let go of achievement and stop worrying about school.”

High Points From Our Conversation About Healthy Parenting Strategies for Handling the Coronavirus Lockdown:

We all want to have healthy parenting strategies but parents need to cut ourselves a serious break during the Coronavirus lockdown. We don’t know what’s happening and we’re feeling our way through this new situation.

The Coronavirus lockdown and pandemic is affecting parents more even though kids are displaying more emotions.

Healthy parenting means we need to take care of ourselves first and begin by letting go of our expectations.

Go back to what’s natural to you in parenting because that’s what’s going to work best right now.

Let go of achievement. Stop worrying about school.

The most important thing right now is staying healthy. 

During the lockdown, let your teen sleep even if they’re on a crazy schedule of staying up past midnight and sleeping until noon. It’s natural for teens to sleep during those hours.

Get outside. When we’re outside our mind calms, breathing slows, and cortisol levels drop. We relax more in nature.

Introverts deal with this time more easily than social extroverts.

During the Coronavirus lockdown, we are using screens to interact and connect with others. If you see your child scrolling through screen after screen, that’s not interacting. Show them how they can use technology to make a face-to-face connection. They can use FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Zoom or other software.

If your teen really needs some in-person social connection then you may want to consider allowing them to choose one best buddy who they can meet outdoors. They can kick a ball, ride bikes or hike and keep a social distance of 6 feet. But this is only one person.

When you’re talking to your teen, remember it doesn’t have to happen facing each other and making eye contact. Riding in a car works well because you’re side-by-side. 

Don’t make your communication be all about a lesson. Remember to let long silences just be.

We all need movement and exercise but this is most important for our boys. Help them find a way to keep moving and get some exercise.

Resources Mentioned in Show:

The Power of Agency: The 7 Principles to Conquer Obstacles, Make Effective Decisions, and Create a Life on Your Own Terms

The Way of Boys: Promoting the Social and Emotional Development of Young Boys

Warrior X-Fit—https://www.warriorxfit.com 

Our Guest Anthony Rao, PsyD:

ANTHONY RAO, Psy.D., is a cognitive-behavioral therapist. For over 20 years, he was a pediatric psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School (HMS). In 1998, he opened a specialized private practice. He appears regularly as an expert commentator and is the co-author of the new book THE POWER OF AGENCY: The 7 Principles to Conquer Obstacles, Make Effective Decisions, and Create a Life on Your Own Terms.

To learn more or connect with our guest visit https://www.powerofagency.com

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