As schools shut down last month, shell-shocked parents and their young children retreated to the physical protection of their homes, only to recognize a looming reality: Uncertainty had toppled all plans. Carefully shaped routines evaporated. Children’s multifaceted worlds beyond their homes - and all that these provided, including childcare - had ceased for the forseeable future. Their colorful, organized classrooms with labeled shelves, and the sense of place and order that they offered, were lost for the academic year. Playdates and lessons ceased. Neighborhood playgrounds lay abandoned. In the quiet stillness, you could almost hear a collective parental gasp, a terse inhale without release.
Now think about it from the perspective of young children, some of the most vulnerable and trusting among us. For me, it's overwhelming. Such sudden, all-consuming loss within the span of one month seems inconceivable. How can they process this? Young children's lives have changed irreversibly, and they need the best of their grown-ups. They need their parents' creativity, as well as their strength. They need a rhythm to their days, consistency and comfort, levity and structure, buffering and nurturing, and above all - joy.
But is it realistic to expect parents to find the internal wherewithal to think of fresh ideas, day after day, while multi-tasking and working without childcare, during a devastating pandemic? As parents settle into their temporary new normal, I am starting to hear a clamoring for ideas, for guidance.
I can play a role here, drawing on my experience as a trained writer, a seasoned teacher, and a former stay-at-home parent. I hope to create posts that are geared towards this surreal time because I believe that children need their important grown-ups urgently. How we handle this time matters.
Be That Someone will offer a timely voice. It will feature innovative prompts for you and your child that inspire joy and playfulness. I'll include colorful artmaking ideas, children's book recommendations, local nature strolls, games and music, creative uses for technology, illustrated recipes, and yoga/mindfulness practices for young children. I will highlight teacher strategies to use at home to help you to manage projects with greater ease and confidence, and share influences from the renowned Reggio Emilia approach. Be That Someone will focus on the experience of authentic learning in a cultivated home environment. It can help you to approach your children's days with restored calm and purpose.
As you guide your children, regular self care becomes critically important. Compassionate encouragement and guidance for parents will be an integral part of this blog as it develops. I will also include timely wisdom from early childhood experts in related fields as they publish during this unprecedented period.
When a tiny hand reaches for yours these days, I hope that I can help you to reach back with a sense of joy and possibility from a more grounded place... to Be That Someone.
Allison Sarnoff Soffer
Author, Apple Days
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