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An open to letter to Parents & Carers {THREAD}

Remember you are not their schoolteacher. You’re not meant to know Maths or English. You’re not meant to know fractions or division, or how to teach the recorder.

The world may have shifted, turned upside down in what feels like days. But your role remains the same as it always was.

You are their Life Teacher. Their teacher of love, kindness, respect, of perseverance and resilience.

So, while the sands shift around us and we put our school jotters away for now to turn towards the weekend, remember that you hold your children.

What you teach them is what they learn, and what do we most need to learn right now?

The emotional health of your family is what matters most in this moment. Yes, there is learning, and Maths, English, and fractions and all those super important things. But right now, can you think straight? Do you know which way is up? Are your emotions all over the place?

As we navigate New Normal, this is our opportunity to teach our children what we all most need to learn: self-care, compassion, kindness. It isn’t London during the War, it’s the world in the 21st century. We aren’t hunkering down but instead showing them how to open up.

While we’re struggling to cope, we can open about how we are feeling and encourage them to do the same.

If we are buckling under the pressure of working, home schooling and learning to cook with random remnants from the fridge, we can show them what we need to do to look after ourselves and talk to them about self-care.

When we are feeling low, we can practice gratitude ourselves and show them how to find moments of happiness amid the gloom.

When we are missing our friends and family, we can bring them into our hearts and take the time to connect with them in whatever way we can.

We can show them how much kindness matters, how to help others, make rainbows, clap for those who are working hard to help us.

When we find ourselves caught in the future and worrying, we can bring ourselves back to the present, and teach them how to breathe into the worry and anxiety, showing them that all we have is the here and now.

These the lessons we can teach them with confidence.

So this weekend, don’t worry about whether you taught them their spelling well enough. Instead congratulate yourself on being there for them in their time of need, hold them tightly, and consider what they need to feel safe. Then give them that in abundance.

@crancomms

@crancomms