LANSING, Mich. — With the constant changes on the local, state, national and global levels with the coronavirus, it can all be overwhelming and hard to understand.
And if it's hard for you to get a handle on things, your kids may be having a hard time too.
No matter their age, kids are hearing about coronavirus.
Counselors say there is no reason to hide it.
But the question is, how do you go about it?
"I think all of us as parents want to stack hands on that to do our best to keep our kids peaceful and be unafraid as possible in this, but it's easier said than done," said Jillian Rainwater, a Licensed Counselor and Certified Active Parenting Educator.
That's why Rainwater says parents can use the acronym O-H-H to remember outlet, honesty, and hope when talking to their kids.
But before any conversations begin, parents need to find an outlet for themselves.
"So you, even though you're an adult, [you] need some space to let this out," said Rainwater. "This is crazy. This is different than any of us have ever experienced. So what does that look like for you? Maybe figuring out a way to go for a quick run, or take a shower, and somehow release that; and, you can do that in a way that is not adding to the trauma of your kids."
Another take-away is being honest with your kids, especially as they may have questions.
"We are getting a lot of questions like, 'will everyone die from this?' That's been a question that's come home from school in our family so talking that through," explained Rainwater. "And if you need a minute to think, it's okay to say to your kid, 'let me think about that for a minute, and research that and get back to you,' instead of saying something you will regret later."
Rainwater says you can give information in a way that can help them understand things they can control.
"And then really helping think that through, like my daughter, for example, thought that through that there are some people at higher risk and there are some people that aren't. She thought that I'm not at super high risk because of my age but I am going to make choices like washing my hands and not going to school, listening to the governor and all of those things so I can protect the elderly or people that are in the hospital."
The last thing Rainwater says is to not forget about providing some sense of hope.
"It can be really hard, but we should have a peace that passes understanding and looking at how do we stay hopeful in the midst and do that in a genuine way."
Some of these ways can be making daily goals for your kids who now have to stay home from school. With so many things changing and events being canceled, Rainwater says it's also good to go over with kids what plans are in place for them if something in their schedule changes.
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