By Suzanne Prince
We know all the mummies and daddies out there are doing their best, trying to hold it all together, but it’s hard. It’s hard because parents are facing the full extent of the unknown, the prospect of children going back to school and potentially having to go back into the work place themselves. No matter how much we try our best, it doesn’t stop our children from wanting what isn’t there anymore, because they want to giggle with their friends, skip across the school playground, do handstands at the wall and kick about a football. And you know what, it’s OK for them to want all those things back, it’s OK for them to be upset, it’s OK for them to feel lonely, it doesn’t mean parents aren’t doing a good enough job, it just means your child is expressing their reaction to the situation we are all facing.
The little ones amongst us really are having the most emotional time. Not being able to see their friends all of a sudden and being separated from family is having a huge impact.
It’s impossible for them to fully grasp why they can’t go to school or have their first big birthday party. Amidst all the uncertainty, parents are trying their upmost to keep them busy, fed, happy and feeling loved. I’ve seen a huge influx in parents turning to my meditations to help nurture children during lockdown. It’s created calmer minds, softens feelings of sadness, sooths children to sleep who are missing a parent and building confidence for those feeling lost.
Meditation is such a clever and useful tool for us all, but at this very moment it is comforting children much more than ever before. It’s lifting their spirits on a bad day, giving them hope when they feel deflated and supporting their mental health when they feel lonely.
