Mom Keep Calm

MOM Keep Calm Create COVID care boxes with your kids

Image by vikvarga from Pixabay

By Janet Lund

Turn their eyes outward.

There is a high likelihood that someone you know has had or currently has COVID-19.

It’s a helpless feeling knowing that the people you care about are suffering.

As I am writing this article, my family and I are in the final days of our COVID journey. That being the case, I have had plenty of time to stare at the walls in my home. When I couldn’t sleep, I pondered ways to make these pandemic days a growing experience for your kids.

Instead of thinking about what they can’t do, help them see what they can do. Make this an opportunity to nurture compassion within your child’s heart. Reaching out to others will redirect your kid’s focus from themselves to others.

Here is how to get started:

1. Take time to think about all the people you or your family members know.

2. Reach out to them and check to see if they are well.

3. Help out if they are sick.

Upon reflection of our experience with COVID, here is a list of items that could help you care for those you love.

Care Package Ideas

Food/Kitchen Needs

• Homemade meals

• Microwaveable meals

• Chicken noodle soup

• Bread/crackers

• Cuties mandarin oranges

• Large supply of paper plates/bowls

Entertainment/Emotional Support

• Magazines

• Books for light reading

• Lighthearted movies

• Personal get-well videos/short visits on FaceTime

• Audio books (great for screen sensitive eyes or a distraction when unable to sleep)

• Written letters/get-well cards

• Deck of cards

• Encouraging Bible verses

Medications we found helpful

• Tylenol

• Robitussin for Coughs

• DayQuil/NyQuil

• Ricola Cough Drops

Everyone’s journey is different.

As my husband, daughter, and I learned, every person’s encounter is unique. Each day is different too. One day the body aches were breathtaking, and the next, fever and fatigue ruled the day.

Additional Insights

Reach out and ask what you can do to help, make suggestions (when you feel bad it’s hard to verbalize your needs), and surprise them with a few items.

Help out by picking up an online order of groceries or make the order and pick it up for them. (I found some days that even looking at a computer screen was too painful to make an order.)

Between the three of us, having C-19 took up the entire month of January. It was a long haul.

When you are sick that long you find yourself struggling with loneliness and depression. That being the case, check on your loved ones multiple times a week. It will keep you in touch with their needs and lift their spirits.

Get Started Today!

Make a plan with your family and put it into your schedule. It’s easy to forget when your life is busy. But for the person who is sick, days feel like weeks. So, take time to put them in your schedule.

Praying for them daily and letting them know you are doing so would also do their heart good.

Be creative! Think outside of the box for items to put inside of your care package box.

Any kind of joy you can shine into their life will be helpful.

Teach your kids to think beyond themselves. Help them grow compassion in their hearts. Provide opportunities to see how they can make a difference.

Teach your kids. Help others. Make a difference.

Janet Lund is a relationship coach who specializes in nurturing the bond between moms and their teen/pre-teen daughters. She leads moms through coaching, speaking, and songwriting. Janet has spoken and performed in Canada, the United States, and Norway. Follow her on facebook.com/momkeepcalm and visit her website at momkeepcalm.com for parenting tools and words of support to be a calm mom.