Shared with permission from Arcadia Gymnastics
Hi parents!  With the closing of the schools, sports and activities, we want to remind you that you have choices in how you deal with this, and how your kids will deal with this.  Because we care about our kiddos, here’s some advice for all the parents of young children who will be home for the next couple of weeks or so...

1. Be careful of what the kids are seeing on the news and hearing from parents conversations. When I was coaching the other night I had a few little team girls come to me and ask pointed questions about coronavirus and it caused a sit down conversation about it.  I answered lots of questions and helped alleviate fears that they had.  Many families aren’t talking to their kids about it and they only know what they hear from TV and the fact that school and gym are closed and that is scary to them.  Turn the TV off or send your kids outside to play. Talk about these scary adult topics in private and when you do talk about them to your kids, do so in a way that does not strike fear of the unknown in them, especially in your small ones. They are not yet equipped to handle these tough subjects.

2. Embrace these next weeks with joy, positive attitudes and make memories you can look back on in years to come!  Play board games, card games, charades, anything you can think of that you don’t do as often as you would like.  Go for hikes, do puzzles together, learn new recipes & cook together, don’t be afraid to embrace new challenges with your kids!  Make crafts together.  Exercise together. Treasure every moment you get to spend with your kids -time is so fleeting!

3. Encourage your kids to document these next weeks. Write journals, do a picture book together with photo documenting, draw pictures. It will be a time they will never forget and it will be so much fun to look back on when they get older. Like the kids at the gym said the other night, “We are going to be in history books for this”. 

4. Talk more!  Ask questions!  Tell family stories. 

5. Hug them more.  Snuggle together. 

6. Read books and the Bible together and pray as a family.

7. Watch movies together.

8. Plan future adventures together.

9. Most importantly-Treasure these moments and let them know that you WANT to spend time with them. Don’t see this as a bad thing, find the silver lining and make your family relationships better.

10. Keep yourself healthy, mentally and physically.  This is a stressful time for everyone. Exercise, meditate, pray, read a book just for fun.  Make time for yourself.  

2-3 weeks probably seems like a really long time now but when they are all grown up and gone, I hope you can look back on this time and smile because you had it. 

The Mission of St. Cecilia Parish is to know, love and serve Christ, 
to extend His presence
by building a community of faith and worship.

No matter what your present status in the Catholic church;
No matter what your current family or marital situation;
No matter what your past or present religious affiliation;
No matter what your personal history, age,
background, race or color;
No matter what your own self-image of esteem;

You are invited, welcomed, accepted, loved and respected at St. Cecilia's church.