"I can’t help but feel exhausted but encouraged, deficient but privileged, sad and but remain optimistic, as we all experience various and similar impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Undoubtedly, the Coronavirus pandemic has heavily impacted us as we see our life and routine change drastically,360° in every angle possible. At the comfort of our home, parents must switch role not only as an employee but also as an educator. It is on parents’ duty to get involved in their children’s educational activities and manage their day-to-day social activities. A smart way of working is now an added skill when dealing with home-schooling children and at the same time, they are expected to manage their time and space diligently without jeopardizing their precious time.
This alone can be troublesome although staying at home is the best viable option, the
mountain of stress carried by the parents is simply unimaginable. This situation has significantly increased the risk of experiencing stress and negative emotions in parents, with a potential cascading effect on children's wellbeing.
The Malaysian Children and Parenting Forum 2021 aim to focus on bridging the communication gap between parents and children to foster healthier relationship during this turbulent time. Questions that seem to be bothering parents’ minds are like: How do we communicate effectively with the children? How to empower one parent to another? Are there any new or workable policies and systems to provide more wrap-around services during this time?