Sheila and I went over to someone’s house last weekend to share pizza and beers with some friends. We sat out on their deck, social distanced, had hand sanitizer available for whoever chose to use it and gave plenty of virtual hugs. While we sat there, we enjoyed watching a household of kids next door playing on their family trampoline with mom and dad joining in on the fun.

From a resilience point of view, one of the most important determinants of “bouncing forward” is the quality and nature of our close personal relationships, especially for children and young adults. The early and committed connection that children have and can rely on from parents and primary care givers provides a path for understanding and developing skills in addressing challenges and adversity.

Some parents I’ve talked with have told me that they want to protect their children from all the crises going on while others have told me that they think it is important to talk about it on a regular basis. Most important is to be honest with children, especially since today’s kids are pretty darn smart.  A good rule of thumb is to listen carefully as most kids will give you plenty of clues that they have questions and feel challenged about a particular situation, (by the way, that rule of thumb is a good one to follow with your employees, co-workers, friends and other loved ones.)

So make sure you get jumping on the trampoline or play a game of hide and seek or roll on the grass with the dog (after all he is suffering having to put up with humans being around all the time!)

Your Challenge this Week: Listen to those you love and care about and support them through the challenges we are all facing.

Upcoming Events:

• Friday, July 10, 8-8:40 AM EDT: Resilient Mindfulness: We’ve been having great fun helping folks start off their Fridays in a more focused and relaxed way and in this session, we’ll focus on “Managing Negative Experiences.” Please join us here.
• Saturday, July 11 at 5 PM: My wife, Sheila Collins and I will be facilitating a program at Phillips Park in Carrick (in Pittsburgh) on “Reimagining Carrick” where we will meet with community members to explore the challenging issues of 2020;  The Corona Virus, racial equity and justice and what is happening in the community. Everyone is invited and you don’t need to even live in Carrick. For more information.