Many adults are feeling a lot of anxiety today – about their jobs, about their health, about the economy and about the unknown. But, what does it look like to see Coronavirus through the eyes of a child. Some of the authors at Slate.com asked their kids to share what they thought about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some themes are common:

• The change to online school and missing friends is difficult.
• They understand that adults are worried.
• It has disrupted their lives.
• They are worried about the adults in their lives.
• They have questions.
• They are experiencing a multitude of emotions.

Here are few of my favorite quotes from the article that offer up a glimpse of what many kids are experiencing these days.

Continue reading

Gratitude is always important which is why it’s part of the Grand Feelings Exit Plan of our Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up! comprehensive emotional management plan here at Hope 4 Hurting Kids. But, what about gratitude during a pandemic? Is it important that we both encourage our kids to practice an attitude of gratitude and do so ourselves? The answer, of course, is yes, so let’s have a look at the why and how of practicing gratitude during a pandemic.

Why Gratitude is Important

The scientific benefits of gratitude are well researched and documents. In a 2014 article in Forbes, psychotherapist Amy Morin lists seven scientific benefits of gratitude including:

1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships.
2. Gratitude improves physical health.
3. Gratitude improves psychological health.
4. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression.
5. Grateful people sleep better.
6. Gratitude improves self-esteem.
7. Gratitude increases mental strength.

Continue reading

It seems the whole world is fascinated with the proper way to wash your hands. As the single biggest preventative factor in curbing the spread of Covid-19, there are few topics more important. This free video from BrainPop explains to kids the proper way to wash your hands.

For more information and resources related to Covid-19, please visit our Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Resource Page.

This free video from BrainPop explains coronavirus in terms that kids can understand. The website, explains:

It can be scary to hear about a disease outbreak, but learning the facts can help ease your mind. A new coronavirus—a type of virus named for its crown-like shape—emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019, and then spread to people around the world. While the most severe cases often dominate the headlines, they’re not the whole story. Most coronavirus cases have been mild, and healthy bodies can fight off the infection on their own. Find out more about how viruses work, and the best ways to prevent them from infecting more people. Viruses can’t spread without our help, so click play to learn how not to help them!

This is a great resource to start a conversation about the virus.

Continue reading

The following comic from NPR was developed by Malaka Gharib to help teach kids about the Covid-19 virus. With kid friendly language and illustrations, it tackles what the virus is and what young people can do to reduce their risk of getting it. You can find a printable and foldable copy of the comic by clicking here.

Continue reading

In order to help our kids, we must first deal with our own stress related to Covid-19 (Corona Virus). The graphic below from the World Health Organization offers some useful tips on dealing with Covid-19 Stress. Click on the image below for a full screen pdf version.

For more information and resources related to Covid-19, please visit our Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Resource Page.

There is a lot of confusion about what certain symptoms might mean. As the parents of a 12-year-old diagnosed earlier today with what I’m calling the “good ‘ol fashioned” flu, the following chart from Business Insider comparing the symptoms of Covid-19 to other ailments would have been helpful. In hindsight, his symptoms definitely line up with the flu, and having this information ahead of time would have helped with his anxiety.

Click here for the original article that contained this chart.

For more information and resources related to Covid-19, please visit our Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Resource Page.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Graphic. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario “Charo” Gutierrez)

At Hope 4 Hurting Kids, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new:

Covid-19 Page

While we would prefer never to have had to put this page together, we felt we owed it to the young people suffering through these unprecedented events to offer a site full of resources and information about Covid-19 as well as dealing with emotional fallout that comes from both changing circumstances and a lack of information.

Over just last week in the United States where I am: Continue reading

A few weeks ago I had three single moms in one of my single parent groups weeping. Why were they weeping? Because it was in the heat of the government shut down, and they were worried about how they were going to feed their children given the current economy and their circumstances.

Our church has a food pantry and I could make sure their children didn’t go hungry but really the issue of feeding their children wasn’t the main problem. The main problem was their perception about the situation.

Perception is a funny thing sometimes, especially when you are

• Divorced
• Stressed out about caring for your children
• Barely able to function
• Exhausted trying to maintain a two-parent schedule with a one-parent team
• Working from the emotional level in your brain

Continue reading

What would you do if a divorced parent you knew came into your church armed and with the intent of doing harm?

It is sad to think we have to worry about protecting our children at church. However, it is a must if you want to provide a safe place for children. There have been cases where an armed person or a shooter has walked into a church building with the intent to do harm. Churches can become targets for people of rage, divorce, discontent and those on some sort of substance.

• Some of these people are trying to make a statement.
• Some are getting back at the institution of “church” perhaps from something from their past.
• Sometimes it might be due to a mental illness
• Sometime it might be a parent in the midst of a divorce

With the stress in our world today and coming into the holiday season where even more people will be stressed, now might be a good time to evaluate your church’s policies and procedures. It is especially important to think through possible scenarios regarding children of divorce.

Continue reading