Advice

By Leena Nasir

Will parents be ready to send their kids back to school with the pandemic raging on?

With back to school a reality in September, parents are concerned about the pandemic and if and how kids will safely return.

The past few months have sent most of us reeling, and everyone has done their best to adjust to the various aspects of life that have been affected as a result of the pandemic. As parents adjusted to the juggle of having the kids home from school, children were also deeply affected, and continue to struggle with this warped sense of the new normal. Slowly, families maneuvered around the complexities of online education and just as everyone has started to settle in to this very strange routine, the school year came to an end.

Having a couple of months that continue to involve some seriously creative parenting skills to keep these cooped-up children entertained, educated, and physically fit. But in spite of needing a break, many parents are still not ready to send their kids back to school in September.

Bloomberg reported on China’s reopening of schools and admitted, “To manage recess and playtime, some schools have elected to keep students inside, supervised, at a safe distance from one another.” Many parents question if this is an emotionally or mentally healthy way for their children to be raised.

With thoughts of how schools will look and feel, and how their children will be affected, some parents are questioning whether or not they’re comfortable sending their children back to school.

back to school during the coronavirus pandemic min

So Much Uncertainty

Part of the reason that some parents may be apprehensive about sending their children back to school is the stark realization that nobody can really tell them what to expect. It’s difficult to wrap our minds around what the “new normal” will be within the school system. With no definitive answers about the pandemic or the changes within the classroom, and with the looming possibility of a second wave of COVID-19, many parents remain
undecided as to what they will do with their kids in September.

Part of the reason that some parents may be apprehensive about sending their children back to school is the stark realization that nobody can really tell them what to expect.

Vaccinations are on the horizon, and that is comforting for some parents, but horrifying for others. There are many anti-vaxxers that won’t want to immunize their children. It’s not yet known when a vaccine will become available, but there are lingering questions surrounding whether or not vaccines can be made mandatory when dealing with an unprecedented pandemic such as this one.

For those who support vaccines, the uncertainty lies in not knowing when they will be available. For parents that don’t want to vaccinate their children… what options will exist? Will the pro-vaccination parents be comfortable with the anti-vaxxers attending the same classes as their children? There are simply more questions than there are answers.

Personal Decisions

The most important thing to remember about post-pandemic socialization is that everyone has been affected differently by the pandemic, and each family reserves the right to act in accordance with their own comfort levels.

CNBC has even reported that hybrid and online education may be the new reality moving forward. If kids are asked to return to school at all, some may be very apprehensive and might opt to delay their assimilation back into the social realm.

Each family has faced hardships as a result of this pandemic, so if we all go easy on one another and respect one another’s differences of opinion and comfort levels, the transition will be smoother for us all.

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