I’m struggling with how to think about Covid risk for my kids and myself as we are heading into the new school year. One of the funny things about being a doctor is that it is actually sometimes hard to think about medical issues in the context of your family. It’s easy to be dispassionate about your patients— it’s harder to be objective with your kids
I just finished Dr. Kelly Fradin’s book, Parenting in a Pandemic: How to Help Your Family Through COVID-19, and I found it to be a really quick and useful read which helped me put a lot of things in perspective. I’ve followed Dr. Fradin on Instagram since I started a professional profile, and I’ve always found her posts to be warm, detailed, and informative. This book is well researched and made me think more deeply about the decisions we have been making as parents.
For example, many parents feel that virtual school is safer. That may be true, but not necessarily:
“The first thinking trap is that virtual school will carry less risk of exposure to coronavirus. This depends on how you carry out your plan at home. What will the whole of your family’s life look like if you go to school or pursue virtual school?”
If your kids are hanging out with kids in the neighborhood and wandering around town, your risk may be greater. And the pressure for older kids and teens to socialize will be greater the more they are isolated. In in-person school the interactions are more likely to be structured to minimize disease transmission.
There are great sections on self care, caring for a child with special needs, and how to manage anxiety in your child and yourself, as well as many others.
There is so much going on now but I think it is important to stay mindful as we parent our children. I really like what Kelly says at the end:
“When the dust settles, what will your family remember about these times? Will the slower pace of life with fewer activities be something you choose to continue?”
Check out Parenting in a Pandemic on Amazon for only six bucks.
Would you be interested in pocket reviews of parenting books I have read? Let me know in the comments.