We’re headed back to school which means another transition during this time of constant transitions. Parents are understandably concerned as they consider the options for their kid’s education, whether it be full time school, full time home or the hybrid model.

Kids, for their part, are going with the flow. One parent told me that her first grader has no prior experience with school, so whether she is at home or school is all the same for her and one HS student I talked with gave me the “it is what it is” meme meaning that he will make the best of it and that there is not much he can do to control the uncontrollable.

Climbing some trees like these girls in my neighborhood might provide a better memory of the Summer of ’20, then all the Pandemic worrying.

Parents can do a lot to help kids (and the rest of us) to manage that which we can manage and help create some strong resilience tools for the future. Among these are:

1. Listen: Give your kids the chance to talk about their issues. Don’t set the discussion up by saying something like, “I hate that you have to wear a mask in school” but instead ask how they’ll feel about wearing a mask. Exploring their concerns may lead to a better understanding for all.
2. Create Memories: Good or bad, 2020 will create powerful memories for your kids. Make them as good as you can by setting aside artifacts from this time like masks, signs showing off the recent grad, or fun pictures of the new 7^th grader working from the deck in shorts with her feet up on the desk. It may seem tough now, but 10 years from now, we’’ll remember more of the good than the bad.
3. Praise success/allow for failures: Small victories help build bigger ones and these first few weeks of school will set the stage for the entire year. Look for the good and support that some things will be challenging. One parent I know is telling her kids that this is all a “work in progress.” A nice perspective on something that we all don’t know where it will eventually lead.

It seems ridiculous to suggest that we should be savoring a global pandemic, but hey, they only seem to come around once every hundred years. Amazing that we are all here to experience it. Please practice good habits so you stay around until we get to the other side.

Events and Happenings

Resilient Mindfulness: Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at 7 PM.
Managing Physical Discomfort
We’ll diverge from our usually workplace focus to explore how we can better manage physical discomforts such as aches and pains. People are telling me that these programs are helping them focus and relate to using these ideas for both work and personal improvement and this session will give you some easy skills for relaxing and being with your physical discomforts in ease. You can sign up here

The Leadership Café
The latest version of the Leadership Café, my new weekly webcast where we interview extraordinary people leading remarkable businesses is out and this week we are talking with Matt Thiel, President of AUMA Actuators. Find out how his company provides a much-needed product to keep our national infrastructure going

© Richard Citrin 2020