As schools across the world close in efforts to flatten the curve, a billion children are obliged to remain at home. During this time, it is helpful for parents to consider their child’s needs for structure, education, exercise, social contact, appropriate leisure time, and calm, rational explanations about the situation, says Richard Gallagher, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone.
Any parent understands the challenge to create a new routine overnight. It’s typically met with a lot of resistance, to say the least. We know parents are struggling to balance work, child care, and self-care while keeping worries — both your children’s and your own — under control. You don’t have to do it alone.
Most everyone has heard the flight attendant tell them to put their own oxygen mask on before helping others. The same goes for parenting—your health and well-being is important so that you can nurture your child. Self-care is not selfish or indulgent—it’s how we keep ourselves well to ensure we are physically, emotionally, and mentally capable of being there for our young children.
The unknowns of what’s coming next can worry even the calmest of parents. If faced with long periods of uncertainty, other stressors may emerge—concern for family members, worries about lost income, keeping the fridge full of groceries, balancing job roles with child care, and more. But young children need their parents to offer a calm, stable, and predictable “home base” for them. It’s a challenge, but as a parent, the best way to help your child be at their best is to take care of yourself.
The realities of COVID-19 make self-care even more important. That’s what a #CaribuBreak is all about. Giving mom or dad a break from the stresses of parenting during a Quarantine! A break to read your social media posts, to take a shower, or just eat something in peace. Friends and family want to help, and one of those ways to help remotely is to offer you a #CaribuBreak where they video-call your kids on Caribu and hang out and have fun with them for however long you need your break to be. If your kids have already made a Magical Caribu Call then you know the difference between leaving them on FaceTime with a family or friend and leaving them on Caribu. With Caribuyour friends and family can read books, color, visit museums, and even cook together to keep your child engaged and captivated so you, my friend, can take a much-needed break.
There is no shame in asking for a CaribuBreak! Tag your friends and family on social media with the hashtag #CaribuBreak and get a break knowing that your kids are having a great time too!
Sincerely,
Max Tuchman, Caribu CEO