This week’s Coffee with Park City Council highlighted the struggles that parents and children are coping with as they navigate the difficulties of isolation. The panel offered expert input and observations which may be helpful to families in this time of COVID.
Screen time, sleeping habits, isolation from friends, anxiety and frustrated parents working from home were topics of this week’s Coffee with Council. The panel discussion was led by Council Member Becca Gerber who said her toddler is taking full advantage of the virtual story time offered by the Park City Library. The program is one of many offered to help ease families through this period of confinement.
Joanna Kahn from the Hive Family Collective provided information about the programs they have to assist parents of newborns. The post-natal time period can be very emotional in the best of times. Isolation and sadness are not uncommon for new parents, especially mothers. Kahn says anyone who has had a child or is expecting, could benefit from their weekly sessions.
“During this time, especially for new parents. This should be a time of connection and the feeling of isolation that you would already feel as a new parent can be completely magnified. So, newbie Mamas and speaker series [are offered.] We’re also reaching out to parents to see what their experiences are in the time of COVID, what that means for them. It is a complete paradigm shift.”
For decades, the Park City Education Foundation has supported large projects throughout the school district. Executive Director Abby McNulty said their goal is to raise $50,000 for an emergency grant program to provide supplies to families who are struggling financially.
Lots of trends. One is helping teachers with technology needs so that they can deliver online classes more effectively. Also, low income families have very basic needs to support at home learning, so supplies, paper, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, scissors for the younger grades to accomplish their daily tasks.”
The Ed Foundation has created a partnership with the Park City Community Foundation to purchase essentials like cleaning products, diapers and formula.
McNulty said teachers have performed a Herculean task to rewrite education since the beginning of the Stay-at-Home orders. Parents can find endless resources to guide children in their learning. Accessing all those sites, she said can make parents feel inadequate.
“There's almost so many free resources available to parents and kids right now it's incredibly overwhelming. I think bite off what you can chew and don't be disappointed in what you can accomplish in a day. That's just sort of my general feeling with keeping kids and their emotional well-being at the forefront.”
Cassidy DuHadway from Purple Sky Counseling said virtual mental health therapy is happening throughout the community with both public and private therapists. Connect Summit County offers tween programs, music classes and an art jam.
“I’m also working with Connect in Summit County and we've been providing free mental health groups online. We've actually had some amazing therapists donate their time. And I’ve logged onto a couple, just because I know how great they are, and I wanted the support. So, there are great resources that are free. They’re online, they’re virtual. It's OK if your kids are running around in the background. You just mute yourself and then it's totally fine, right? They also have a group for high school juniors and seniors that are dealing with the fallout of COVID”
DuHadway said grief and anxiety are on the rise in every age group and it’s more pronounced in people who struggle with those issues regularly. It’s common for children to pick up on their parent’s emotions. She said the best thing a parent could do when observing anxiety or sadness in their children is to talk to them.
"Every kid is going through anxiety and grief and loss. So, taking some time to sit down with your kids is really really, really important right now. I want you to not say any advice to your kids. I just want you to sit down and listen to them. Hey, I notice when you got off the Zoom call with your class, you cried. Are you missing them? What's going on? And take the time to let your kids say it out loud.”
DuHadway said it’s normal to feel isolated and sad and the hardest step can be to ask for help.
Connect summitcounty.org has a calendar of programs available for every age group.