Distance yourself from rumors and panic
Our social distancing has only just begun, but already everyone is getting a little stir crazy.
All the unknowns make a lot of us feel panicked.
Most people are on pins and needles waiting to learn more from our government officials. Will we go into complete lockdown? What does complete lockdown mean? How long will my our kids really be out of school? Will gas stations and grocery stores remain open?
The list is endless for everyone to worry about. With little to do and having no real control over what comes next has people sharing information and just like in the game of telephone, that information eventually gets twisted.
But as parents we must stop spreading rumors and sharing information we get from unofficial sources. I have found myself doing it as well and it has to come to an end.
Children are like sponges and can sense when we are stressed. We owe it to our kids to avoid sharing unreliable information with other parents, and start relying on news conferences for our information.
Social media provides a daily distraction for most people but right now it has been taken over by coronavirus concerns and sharing pictures of empty shelves and how everyone is getting preppy — not the 1980s kind of preppy, the 2020s kind. Prepared. Where are all those navel gazers when you need them on social media? Can’t someone post something to make their followers jealous about how perfect their life is? Apparently, there’s no facetune for making coronavirus seem less scary.
We don’t have a food shortage in this country and when you see empty shelves it is probably later in the day. The stores are being restocked daily. I tend to go right when it opens at 6 a.m. when few people are there and there’s plenty of toilet paper.
Some parents have decided to delete all social media from their phones to keep themselves from being consumed by the news. Every parent should consider how they can best deal with this crisis in the calmest way possible with as little impact on their kids.
Staying cooped up is not easy for anyone, so we must work together as a community to silence all the noise.