Our provincial government has announced another round of online school beginning next week, just a few weeks into this latest provincial stay-at-home order.
Parents are facing the reality of young children at home while they, themselves, work from home. I have talked with many parents who dread the juggling act and pressures of trying to cover off so many different responsibilities at the same time.
Parents with young, school-aged children are stressed. Rightly so! You are genuinely concerned that you give enough attention to the demanding responsibilities of your jobs. But for most of us, the chief concern is for our children. How will they cope during these strange days? What consequences will this online learning have on them, both short and long term? Our children are stressed, too. After years of trying to limit screen time we find ourselves forcing them to sit in front of a screen for hours each day.
First, let me give you some unsolicited parenting advice. Take a breath. You may be concerned that your child is distracted, fooling around and not focusing on the online lessons. Rest assured, they would be equally distracted, fooling around and not focusing if the lesson was in person and in the classroom. Set your child up for success by having realistic expectations. Leave plenty of space in the day for them to build Lego, colour, play, and even day dream.
“Leave plenty of space in the day for them to build Lego, colour, play, and even day dream.”
Second, consider why you are feeling stressed about their online schooling during this season. At worst, perhaps you have tied your value as a parent to your child’s academic success in grade school. At best, you feel stress and pressure because you love and care about your child. You want the best for them. Wanting the best for your child is a good thing! In fact, your loving care for your child is a metaphor for God’s love, care and concern for His children (Matthew 6:8).
Let’s hit pause. Take a step back and ask yourself a question. If it is true that I feel stressed at the prospect of online schooling, at least partly, because I want the best for my child, then what is best for my child? Let’s think about this another way. Maybe the anxiety you feel during this time is exposing a good desire and inviting you to take a fresh, intentional look at your parenting.
You may want your child to be the next Elon Musk, Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking. You may desperately want to see them make the Grade 3 Honour Roll. But is that truly what is most important? If you made a list of values for your child would academic achievement top the list? Whether you force them and fight with them to sit in front of the screen for six hours every day during this season or not, they will learn their alphabet, how to print, count and do math. Those skills will come. But are you seizing this moment and using it as an opportunity to teach them the thing that matters most?
“But are you seizing this moment and using it as an opportunity to teach them the thing that matters most?”
You know that Monica and I love our St. George’s children. We pray that each child will learn one thing during this time of online schooling. TRUST JESUS.
Trust him because He is in control.
Trust him because He is good.
Trust him because you can go to him with your anxieties, fears and frustrations.
Dear parents, allow the stress of these days to strip away peripheral desires and press you into intentionally teaching your children this most important lesson. Teach them that Jesus loves them, cares for them, and that they can pray to him because he prays for them. Teach them to take their cares to him in prayer and to cast every burden on him.
Then this season of online schooling will be redeemed. It will not be a waste.
Teaching our kids to trust Jesus tops all of our parenting goals. What better opportunity to model it than through the restrictions of a global pandemic.
