Coronavirus could infect 40-80% of NY population
Pulmonary Disease Specialist Dr. Brian Gelbman joins Eric Shawn to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.
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Moms and dads, have you thought about talking to your children about coronavirus? It’s an unsettled time in our world right now. Our daily normalcy has been taken away and things keep getting crazier.
We’re dealing with a lot — empty grocery store shelves, schools and churches closing, the stock market tanking, worries about our jobs, and about the health of everyone we love.
But what about our children? With constant reminders about washing their hands, with their school and church life being upended, and with coronavirus being mentioned seemingly 67,468 times a day, it’s impossible for them to not be touched by this. And even though we try to keep our worries and fears from them, they still pick up on it.
So two weeks ago when our family gathered for a meal and game night together, I gathered the young cousins around and said, “Have all of you heard about the coronavirus?” They nodded, and then I asked, “How do you feel about it?”
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They were quiet for a minute, and then Eden softly said, “It’s scary.”
Ava said, “It makes me nervous.” All of them — ranging from ages five to 10 — were somber.
I said, “I want you to remember something — not one thing can happen to us unless it comes through Jesus first. He’s still in control, even of the coronavirus.”
I continued, “Did you know that God’s given us so many verses about fear that we can have more than one for each day of the year? We can trust Him to take care of us.”
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We talked a bit more, and then I told them if they were afraid, to talk to one of us, not to keep it bottled up inside. The kids then went back to playing.
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Later that night as we were all gathering our things to leave my son’s house, Ava came to me and said, “Grandmama, I’ve been thinking. If we don’t have food or things we need, we can help each other out.”
Another concern that had been on her little heart. I said, “Baby girl, you don’t have to worry about that. The adults have all discussed it and our families are going to take care of each other. We’re going to work together, and if we have anything that anybody else needs, we’ll all share. We’re going to be okay.”
Their fear is real. So what can we do to help them?
1. We can talk to them. Ask them how they’re feeling about things. Having them verbalize their concerns will relieve the worries that are making knots in their stomachs.
2. Adults can talk about our concerns when our children aren’t around, and we can be careful with how they consume news. Younger children, in particular, are not prepared for this emotionally.
3. We can plan times of family fun to relieve the heavy gloom that’s hanging over all of us right now. Play games. Put a puzzle together. Pull out the family photo albums and talk about your memories. Watch a movie. Or go on a nature walk if you can.
4. We can use the days while we’re stuck at home together as teachable moments. Let your children help you cook. Teach them to do laundry. Teach them how to change the oil in the car. Or do fun craft activities together. Let them draw or color some pictures and then mail them to elderly friends or others who might be at home alone.
5. We can learn some Bible verses together. We’re all washing our hands for 20 seconds right now and the recommendation is to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. Instead, print out some “fear not” verses, and then while everyone is washing their hands, they can read the verses out loud until they’ve memorized them. Those precious promises will be a blessing and comfort throughout their lives.
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6. Pray together. It choked me up to hear the little ones praying for God to halt coronavirus and for Him to give our leaders wisdom.
Finally, let’s be consistent in reminding our children that God is still in charge — and those words just might trickle into our own worried hearts as well.