Building Community - Staying Connected

Remember that saying, "United we stand, divided we fall?"  When health officials introduced the term "social distancing", they soon realized the negative connotation of isolation.  We are now changing the phrase to "physical distancing," or "keeping a healthy distance."

It's easy to feel isolated when we are at home and can't visit friends and family in person.  Children feel the same thing; people are social beings.  We need companionship, friendship, love and kindness to thrive.

I have made a conscious decision to contact a friend or family member every day, just to talk.  I enjoy seeing them when possible, using video calls when I can, but phone calls, email, texting, etc. are all useful ways to connect.  It's good to help me feel less isolated, and to let them know that I care and am thinking about them.  I'm also reaching out to a few people that I haven't contacted in a long time, because I still think about them and still care about them.  I'm even making a point of making new connections, both personally and professionally.  I can't meet new people in person, but I can introduce myself and start conversations to grow my network.

How can I help my children build community and stay connected?

1. Include your child in conversations with family members and family friends.  Let them talk about what they have been doing and what's on their minds.  They need to know that their family members are still out there, that they can be contacted, and that they are safe.  They also need to know that everyone is facing similar frustrations, and that we are all working on ways to help each other through the current crisis.
2. Introduce new ways of communicating.  
• Do you have any postage stamps where you are?  Try writing an old-fashioned letter that will be a nice surprise for someone to else to receive.  (Most stamps are peel-and-stick now, and you can use a drop of water to seal the envelope instead of licking it.)
• Do you have a piece of card stock? Blank recipe cards? Design a new postcard to send to someone else, using your real location, or imagining that you are somewhere else.  A postcard from the moon, or from a submarine?  Why not?  Will you include the classic phrase, "Wish you were here!" to let someone know that you care?
• If your child has a friend across the street or next door, and they can see each other through windows, what creative ways can they communicate?  Signs?  Morse code?
• If your child has a friend next door, can they come up with ways to have fun while each stays in their own yard?  (My 6-year-old grandson was running races with his neighbour yesterday.  Then they were showing each other their toys through the fence!)
• We have started playing games with grandchildren using video calls. (see InterFamily Communication - March 18th)  Next up, a puppet show with songs!
3. As a family, have a discussion about who in the neighbourhood might need help.  Become the "helpers" that Fred Rogers talked about.  You can shovel snow on someone's sidewalk, cut their grass, water their garden, pick up groceries they need and deliver them to their front door.

Whatever you do, keep talking with children, family and friends, and keep listening to what they say.  We are all in this together, and we need to build our community and stay connected more than ever.