PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many students have returned, at least partially, to the classroom after learning remotely for more than a year. It’s the moment many parents have been waiting for, but it comes with mixed emotions.
Some parents fear their child will get COVID-19 at school. Others worry schools will have to switch back to remote learning, leaving parents scrambling again to find child care.
Liza Piekarsky, a mental health counselor with Retreat Behavioral Health, said some parents have grown accustomed to having their kids at home each day. They may lack “confidence for the school’s ability to be able to keep your loved one safe and not bringing anything home to the family.”
There’s also an aspect of isolation.
“Even though there’s an excitement with it that they get to continue, that they are now back in school and life goes on now, there’s a lot of loneliness that comes with it,” Piekarsky added, “because you’re so used to these routines that you’ve created and you’ve become comfortable with over the last few months or so.”
A parent’s loneliness can vary depending on the age of the child.
“As the kids are older, 10 and up, I would say the level of bonding is different and it becomes more of a companion being home with you than you being their babysitter,” she explained.
However, Piekarsky said it’s important for parents to put on a strong face for their kids.
“We don’t want to put that — your feelings and your beliefs, my loneliness — onto the children because then you’re going to see that they’re going to be more anxious to return to school because they’re afraid that you’re going to be lonely at home.”