COVID-19 has disrupted life as we know it. If you're a parent struggling with how to adjust, you've come to the right place.
You’re probably wondering, how in the world did I get here? Us too. As daily life continues to change and transition, we want to serve as a source of encouragement, help, and humor for you and other parents, starting with this resource library.
How to Use This Library
Bookmark this page and return to it often. We’ll update this page as we release new resources or find additional ones to help you as a parent.
Right now, what you’ll see on this page are resources relevant to your current life—what you need to transition into the role as your child(ren)’s main educator, potentially while also transitioning to remote work. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be adding more resources to this page to help you maintain your transition as well help you flourish long-term.
RESOURCES FOR THE TRANSITION
1. Working Remote with Kids
If you’re not a homeschool family, life suddenly looks very, very different. One of our staff members in the School of Education over on our Ann Arbor campus put together some comical commentary on working remotely with kids along with some tips on how to balance the two. If you need a little comedic relief as you grapple with your new life situation, this post is for you. You’ll even walk away with a few tips on how to make the most of it all.
Read the post
2. Remembering Mental Health
Social distancing along with orders to stay at home means we’re spending A LOT more time with our families than we typically do. It’s completely normal to get tired of each other and of our situations which, in the long term, can impact our mental health. Dr. Jan Heinitz, the Assistant Director of our Graduate Counseling program, offers some guidelines that you can adopt to help everyone in your family thrive.
You're not alone in this.
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Explore the Guidelines
3. Keeping Your Family Positive
Staying positive is more difficult now than ever, especially when the kids won’t stop fighting for the fifth time in a day. But there is so much good still happening in the world and in our homes, even if we’re stuck in them right now. As a parent, you have the opportunity to help your family focus on the positive. Our graduate education team shared some tips that you can use as you think of how best to lead your family toward positivity right now.
Get the tips
4. Meditating on Scripture
One of our theology professors put together a post on five verses to meditate on during the pandemic. If you’re finding yourself feeling tense, stressed, or anxious during this time, take some time to read through his recommendations. Meditate on the scriptures included in his post and evaluate their meaning in light of your personal situation as well as what the entire world is facing. We’re all in this together.
RESOURCES TO MAINTAIN YOUR TRANSITION
1. Lead your children’s faith
This time of being at home with your family can be seen as either a blessing or a curse. How you respond and lead your children will impress greatly on them and their understanding of God. Here’s how you can lead your children’s faith while you’re in isolation.
2. Embrace a perspective shift
A local parent is sharing some insight on how to make use of this quieter, slower time of time while our families are sheltered in place. Right now, you have the opportunity to ask some important questions and re-evaluate your family’s priorities. It’s a two-part series that you can start by clicking below.
3. Start a devotional practice
Our Campus Ministry staff is working hard to provide encouragement to the Concordia community throughout our stay-at-home period. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a different Concordia faculty or staff member will share a brief devotional message that is intended to bring hope in His eternal promises and biblical perspective for the days and weeks ahead. If you need some encouragement, you can re-watch previous messages.
As a reminder, check back on this page often as we’ll be releasing new content to help you cope and flourish over the next few weeks. If there’s anything specific that you’d like to see us create, you can always send us an email by clicking here.
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