Today I hosted a Clubhouse room on ‘Parenting in Lockdown’. If you aren’t on Clubhouse yet, I highly recommend downloading the app, and getting yourself on the list. It’s only for iPhones at the mo, and still in beta stage. Personally I am getting a lot out of it. I would describe Clubhouse as live podcasting. You can drop in and out, listen to what interests you, and get to raise your hand and have a say if you feel compelled to voice a view on the subject.
I popped my Clubhouse cherry by hosting a room on parenting in lockdown, along with Chris Hallett. The conversation was rich and insightful, it was great to connect with others struggling with similar challenges, and it was wondeful to be joined by Joy, a single mother in the Caribbean parenting 3 kids in lockdown solo.
We shared our views, and I pulled together some top tips. Some of these came from the Clubhouse discussion, and a couple from WoMos through this site. Let me know your top tips too! Drop me a message any time at elizabeth@womonetwork.com
Plan Plan Plan. From meals to a walk in the park. Plan your day. Have the schedule somewhere where everyone can see it.
Have a routine every day. Where possible do meal times/a walk at the same time.
Make time for you. Even if just for a few minutes. If you can, take a walk or exercise on your own. If it is just 10 mins sat quietly or meditating in another room, make it happen. Every day.
Talk to your kids about feelings. Have age appropriate conversations about how you and the kids feel. By talking about your own feelings, you will help your kids share theirs.
Know it is ok to feel angry, sad and frustrated. Let the feelings come rather than push them away. This is a challenging time for everyone, and accepting that feelings come and go, moving through us, will help you give yourself permission to feel the feels.
Ask for help. We know getting a babysitter in for a couple of hours isn’t possible to give you an urgent break, yet when it gets too much, you can ask for help in the form of a friend on the end of the phone, your family or a helpline. There is no shame in asking for help. If you are finding it hard to cope, reach out. Offloading and talking can help the feeling of overwhelm feel more managable.
Hang in there WoMos. Here’s to hoping the kids are back at school after half term. Fingers crossed!
By Elizabeth Cowper, Founder/CEO, WoMo
Clubhouse handle @cowpster