For many, the parenting adventure just keeps taking us to new places we don’t always know how to traverse. We enter into conversations we’re not ready to have, negotiations we don’t know how to resolve, and emotional states from which escape feels impossible. Yes, there are countless joys, but for now let’s look at some tools to help with the tough stuff. My tool of choice at the moment is the podcast. I’m a librarian, so of course I love books and reading, but when I’m feeling wiped out it feels so much more appropriate to plug in my earbuds, press play, close my eyes, and listen.
Parent Trapped
Consider this as Pandemic Parenting 101. Short, oftentimes hilarious episodes walk you through the new reality of life at home with kids. The first four shows explore screen time, anxiety, housework, and the COVID slide.
LIFE KIT
Their tagline is “Everyone needs a little help being a human.” If you can relate to that sentiment, then this one is for you. With several short episodes per week, listening to Life Kit will give you the power of practical thinking. Recent subjects include talking with children about death, the risks of summer activities in the age of COVID, art projects for quarantine, and advice for dealing with uncertainty.
GET SLEEPY
Sometimes you just need some sleep. And sometimes you just need some help getting there. If you’ve never tried drifting off to the soothing British lilt of Tom Jones, you deserve it! Twice a week, he delivers bedtime stories guided by meditation and sleep experts to ease your mind and let you rest.
PEACE OUT
But of course you can’t sleep if your kids aren’t sleeping, so here’s one for them. Storytelling integrated with breathing and visualization exercises will both send them off to dreamland and teach them how to help themselves find calm.