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The pandemic made toddler social time challenging in all new ways.
Playtime in a masked-up world Parents and educators are learning new ways to ensure toddlers get the socialization they need P H OTO: S H U TTE RSTOC K
by K A T I E A N T H O N Y
COVID completely upended our communities. Togetherness, once a balm, became a risk. Separation, once a snub, became a gesture of love. That was a tough transition for older kids and adults.
But what has it been like for toddlers? How are families coping with socializing young kids in a continuing pandemic? Bo Leong, the parent group manager at Families of Color Seattle and parent to twin toddler boys, believes that the word we are all looking for is “pivot.” “Not just physical pivoting,” Bo says, referring to the pandemic retreat into the home, “but psychological, social, even cognitive pivoting as a parent.” “We tell our kids, ‘Go out and play,’ but
during a pandemic there are some added steps,” Bo says. Wear a mask, wash your hands, be aware of how close you are to other people. For adults, these changes might serve as reminders of the dangers our children face. But to young kids, they register as simply another milestone in their lives, not wildly different from their pivot away from diapers, or learning that toilets need flushing. Turns out toddlers are toddlers, even during a pandemic. Lindsey Denault, toddler CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >
J a nua r y / Fe br ua r y 2 0 2 2
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