So Your Teen Doesn’t Want to Talk About the Coronavirus Pandemic

My guys and their Dad.

As parents during this time, we are experiencing an unprecedented parenting phenomenon. With school interrupted during the eventful time leading into spring celebrations and graduations, the impact of remote learning and online instruction efforts can feel even more challenging. The 2020 school year looks nothing like any of us expected, especially to the students.

I am the deeply grateful mama of two balanced and thoughtful young men, one in high school and one in college, both home respecting our family’s decision to self-isolate as much as possible. As we move about the house each tending to our own responsibilities, I find myself checking in with them more than I would be on any previous Saturday with a “How are you, sweetie?”

And how are they on Day Seven of self-isolation, do you ask? “Fine” mostly. Sometimes “good.” And occasionally “hungry” or “tired.” That doesn’t mean there aren’t more emotions and thoughts beneath the surface, but until they decide to share, those emotions and thoughts are theirs.

And how are they on Day Seven of self-isolation, do you ask? “Fine” mostly. Sometimes “good.” And occasionally “hungry” or “tired.” That doesn’t mean there aren’t more emotions and thoughts beneath the surface, but until they decide to share, those emotions and thoughts are theirs.

Yes indeed. Feels suspiciously like most other conversations before we were experiencing a global pandemic together in self-isolation. And that is both unsurprising and perfectly acceptable. Leaving space for them to share on their own terms is key.

Our teen children do need us to provide a stable and secure foundation as best we are able. And they also need spaciousness to find their own unique way to emotionally metabolize both the day-to-day practicalities and the broader implications of the pandemic for them and their generation.

Allowing our teens to experience this through their own lens with their peers with our support is one of the most powerful ways we can help them cope. Some ways we can support them are simple…