A lot of you have asked for my thoughts on how we’re dealing with the Pandemic as parents. In this week's episode of The Crystal Paine Show, Jesse and I share some of the ways we're approaching parenting right now and what's working for us.

As always, every child is different and you know your kids best, so I’m only sharing how we are approaching things at our house... and these principles can be applied to many different seasons of upheaval.

Here are some of the strategies we share in this episode:

Don’t dismiss your kids’ feelings. Feelings are not right or wrong and no one can tell you how you feel or don’t feel. It’s what you choose to do with those feelings that matters most. Give them space to talk about whatever it is they are feeling — anger, sadness, loneliness, grief, frustration, boredom.

Don’t preach sermons. I know it’s easy to want to use this as a way to teach valuable life lessons... but probably way more than sermons, your kids just need a listening ear and empathy. And trust me, your kids ARE going to learn many valuable lessons from this, but a listening ear goes a long way to help them feel seen, heard, and loved.

Don’t stress yourself out trying to get it all right. There is no manual on how to parent well through COVID-19. We’re all just doing the best we can do! When you feel overwhelmed or unsure how to handle a situation, it’s okay to acknowledge this and give yourself some grace. If you are a Christian, this is an amazing opportunity to cry out to the Lord for wisdom and direction for how to respond and love your kids well.

Do remember that you set the tone for your home. If you are extremely stressed and irritable, it’s going to trickle down to your kids and make them feel stressed and on edge. Make sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin so that you are completely zapped and exhausted.

Do relax some of your usual rules/standards. We are allowing a lot more sleeping in, PJ-wearing, screen time, and junk food eating than usual. Yes, I probably just lost some followers over admitting that, but I feel like a lot has been taken away from our kids right now and as long you’re doing your chores and school, I’m pretty chill about a lot of other things in this season.

Do look for the humor in everything. We’ve laughed so hard as a family in the last few weeks — over so many ridiculous things. Laughter has been such good medicine for us and we’ve sought to find the funny in the ordinary. 

Important Note: This will be the last episode we'll be releasing until the end of May as I'll be on Maternity Leave until then. We do plan to pop on once during Maternity Leave to do an episode on my birth story. Look for that in the next few weeks!

In This Episode: 

[03:00] Jesse and I are both reading fiction books right now.

[06:35] L’Oreal magic root cover up is saving my life right now. Jesse is loving the Couch to 5k Program. 

[12:20] Don’t discount your kids’ feelings. 

[18:03] Stop trying to get it all right. 

[20:36] Remember that you set the tone for your home. 

[23:21] Consider relaxing some of your usual rules.

[25:16] Look for the humor in everything. 

[28:20] What is working in your home? 

Links and Resources:

• The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
• Savage Son by Jack Carr
• L’Oreal Magic Root Cover Up
• Couch to 5k
• MoneySavingMom.com
• YourBloggingMentor.com
• My Instagram account (I’d love for you to follow me there! I usually hop on at least a few times per day and share behind-the-scenes photos and videos, my grocery store hauls, funny stories, or just anything I’m pondering or would like your advice or feedback on!)
• Have feedback on the show or suggestions for future episodes or topics? Send me an email: [email protected]

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

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