Saturday, February 27, 2021 Making the Grade 2021 BerkshireEagle.com | BenningtonBanner.com | ManchesterJournal.com | BrattleboroReformer.com 20
The pandemic has been tough on kids. Try these 7 tips to build their resilience
METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
BY PHYLLIS FAGELL Special To The Washington Post
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When Nick von Hindenburg, 12, moved from the Netherlands to Washington, D.C., at the start of seventh grade, the pandemic and online school limited his opportunities to make friends. But after moving seven times and living on three continents, he had the skills to adapt. "I've never been in this exact situation before, but I've had to adjust to different cultures, traditions and ways of teaching," Nick said. He understands that life is more like a jungle gym than a ladder, said his mother, Anisha Abraham, a pediatrician at Children's National Hospital and author of "Raising Global Teens: A Practical Handbook for Parenting in the 21st Century." "Challenge and change have made him stronger." For many children across the United States, the pandemic is the first time they've had to deal with a disruption of this scale, and some are faring better than oth-
ers. As a school counselor, I know that parents of struggling kids feel powerless and worry about longterm emotional fallout. Although caregivers can't always alter children's circumstances or shield them from discomfort, they can offer a more enduring gift: tools to manage adversity. "Resilience works like a muscle we can build through effort and repetition, and we want to keep our muscles strong and flexible, so we can think of many ways to solve a problem," says Mary Alvord, co-author of "Resilience Builder Program for Children and Adolescents." "At the core, resilience is the belief that while you can't control everything in your life, there are many aspects you can control, including your attitude." Here are seven ways adults can help children cope with adversity and retain a hopeful outlook during the pandemic — and long after it ends.
LEVERAGE THEIR INTERESTS Fan the flames on children's pas-
