COVID-19 and Parenting

Hopefully, this post will be irrelevant and outdated several months from now but in the meantime, parents should consider with care, and over time:

a) how their children are processing information about the pandemic; and

b) how their actions, as separated/divorced parents, impact their children while we grapple with today's uncertainty.

It is widely understood that children process information based on their age, and the stage of their brain development. The older the child, the more granular their understanding of the current pandemic and the more open they may be about sharing their confusion, uncertainty and anxiety. That being said, all children are impacted by the current disruption to routine, for example. Depending on their age and stage of development, children may express such reactions in less obvious and predicable ways. It is important to stay watchful and vigilant to changes in behaviour.

I am courage all parents/readers of this post to research and read widely-posted information from reputable professionals: - psychologist, psychiatrist and those dealing with children's mental health issues, on how to best handle the current pandemic with their children. Be vigilant as to the sources of your information.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has also impacted separated parents who are presently trying to navigate their children's residential and access arrangements while the courts are currently able to deal only with urgent matters.

A growing number of decisions made by judges as a result of motions brought since the outbreak of the pandemic contain a central theme, and that is, that every effort should be made to minimize disruption for children, including in access and residential arrangements. Again, children are facing a lot of upheaval right now, and introducing further changes to their lives, by way of altered residential or access schedules, may not be in their best interests given the totality of what we are all facing at the moment.

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (Ontario) has issued Guidelines for how parents should approach residential and access arrangements during this challenging period, and I encourage you to read them.

We live in a landscape which is changing daily, literally. I will be posting further on COVID-19 issues, as the situation develops.

©AJJakubowska