Despite the fallout from the global outbreak of COVID 19, there are lots of reasons to celebrate. One such reason is, our children! Yes, it is May and May is dedicated to our children. The theme for Child’s Month 2020 is “Unplug Negativity, Connect Positivity….Think!”

With schools closed due to the outbreak of COVID 19 and work-from-home policies implemented, parents and children are now dependent on the internet, computers and TVs. We are also glued to our TVs and radios to hear the latest orders and updates from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and other government officials. At this time in our history, we are plugged into technology more than ever. As with everything, there are two sides to this coin. Technology has provided us with the option to carry on with life outside the physical space by giving us virtual opportunities to work from home, homeschool our children through Zoom classrooms and lessons televised nationally, manage our financial affairs through internet banking, paying rent/mortgage and other bills online. On the other hand, our increased access to technology has had some negative impacts on us and our children.

Some negative side effects of technology on our lives may include, an increase in stress, anxiety, and loss of physical connection with our loved ones, children and family. Think about all the time you have spent using technology lately. What has been the impact on your family? Has it been mostly positive or mostly negative?

Why do we Need to Unplug?

As we celebrate Child’s Month with these new challenges and uncertainties, we might need to ask ourselves: Do I need to unplug? Unplugging from negativity could be more beneficial to you and your children in the long run. Here are a few reasons why we should unplug from negativity:

• It reduces our anxieties and fears
• Unplugging from social media and technology offers us more time to connect with our children, families and friends to learn new and exciting things about them
• We can use the time gained from unplugging to improve our skills or gain new ones
• We can spend more time learning about ourselves

We recognise that the outbreak of COVID-19 is teaching us how to balance, for example, balancing the learning needs of our children with our work responsibilities. Certainly, balancing our use of technology and unplugging from negativity is no different. As we attempt this balance, a few questions we can ask ourselves are: How much is my use of technology taking away from the positive interactions I could be having with my children and family? How is my use of technology negatively affecting my children and family? When you answer these questions….Think! Unplug Negativity!

Consider reducing the negative impacts of technology on yourself, children and family by unplugging from technology. You may consider choosing the best time for unplugging, is this at dinner time, bedtime or family playtime? Whatever time you choose, make sure everyone is on the same page and ready to keep unplugging on a regular basis!