2020 has been an interesting year! Schools have been on and then off due to lockdowns and many children isolating mid-term. Parents have turned to playing teacher and had to home school – often whilst working from home too. Many parents and children have been spending more time than ever with each other.
It has certainly been a new challenge for many families, but it has brought good things too. We have learnt things about ourselves as parents that we never knew as well as learning things about our children too. Our children may have also learnt a lot of new things about their parents. The challenges that we have had, have allowed both us and them to grow.
Acknowledging Personal Growth
Parents can help their children to see the good things that 2020 has brought them. Sit with them and have a chat about the year. Perhaps get a sheet of paper and jot down the main areas of personal growth they feel 2020 has given them.
Areas of growth to discuss:
- It would be easy to see lots of negatives, so focus on the positives only. If something positive arose out of a negative, write it down.
- Talk to children about the challenges they have overcome and the new skills they have learnt.
- How do they think this experience has changed them for the better? It could have made them more patient or given them the life skills to deal with change.
- What do they think has gone well this year? Have they learned a new skill or managed to keep up with school work?
- Have they become more resilient by learning how to deal with changes? Possibly grown in confidence?
- Once they have recognised areas of personal growth, can they continue to be the more rounded conscientious and independent person that they are into 2021?
With a difficult past year and the first pandemic in our lifetimes, children should feel proud of themselves for adjusting to a different type of normal. There have been some huge changes to everyday life as we know it in 2020 but we should all pat ourselves on the back for getting through it. And if we can see the positives in our personal growth – even better.
