ANN ARBOR – Staying home is difficult for everyone during these trying times, but for parents with children at home -- some of whom may be working full time -- there are added layers of stress to an already challenging situation.
Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has responded by launching a weekly webcast called “Thrive With Your Family” to help families through the new realities they face during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closures.
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Episodes will air on Michigan Medicine’s YouTube channel and on Mott’s Facebook page on Tuesdays at noon starting on April 14. As part of the series, parents will be able to submit questions to pediatricians, child psychology and psychiatry experts.
The series will feature candid conversations by a nationally recognized panel about child behavior, parenting, relationships and mental health in this ever-changing environment.
“We know parents have been under a huge amount of stress due to school closings and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mott developmental behavioral pediatrician Jenny Radesky, M.D., who is also a mother of two, said in a statement.
“We wanted to provide families with a resource for emotional wellness. We’ll tackle the stressors, concerns and difficulties families are facing. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how to maintain a sense of hope and understanding, and tips for maintaining a problem-solving mindset even amidst circumstances that can feel out of our control.”
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Parents can submit questions and topics to the panel via www.mottchildren.org/thrive.
Radesky will moderate discussions and each episode will feature rotating panelists from Michigan Medicine and beyond.
“When the situation is so rapidly changing and stressors are all around us, we can have really big emotional reactions. We might feel angry, helpless and stressed out. All of these reactions are normal, but it’s even harder when your children are having reactions of their own,” Radesky said in a statement.
“We are here to help. We want to create a space where we can talk about these experiences and all feel like we have a regular touchpoint to all go through this together.”