Thank you to our local experts who offered insight and ideas. Katelynn Villari is a licensed social worker and the clinical director at Intown Family Therapy in Grant Park. She supports families in private practice and in the community, including serving as a counselor at the Global Village Project, a nonprofit school for refugee girls. intownfamilytherapy.com Anne Marie Hoffman, a native of Atlanta, grew up enjoying the outdoors with her family. A scientist by training, she has developed and taught nature-based curriculum around the world. Today, she offers guided hikes, virtual camps and other outdoor experiences for families with young children. tykehike.com Kelly McCool is certified in multiple forms of yoga, and she is an experienced elementary school teacher. Through her business, McCool Kids Yoga, she teaches a variety of parent and child classes around Atlanta and online. mccoolkidsyoga.com
10 Atlanta Parent September 2020
STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH COVID-19 LOCKDOWN — AND BEYOND by Sherry V. Crawley
Six months ago when the COVID-19 lockdown began, I went into organization overdrive. I set up virtual playdates, wrote daily itineraries to ensure my 11-year-old son was reading and exercising, and made a chart to keep screen time in check. We put together puzzles, organized closets and yes, even baked sourdough bread. I thought to myself, “We can do this!” That all lasted about three weeks. And then I ugly cried. The reality of trying to do my demanding job as a communications consultant while juggling my son’s virtual learning and the seemingly endless cooking and cleaning settled in. My son missed his buddies. And we were all managing anxiety, feelings of helplessness and concern for our friends and neighbors trying to navigate these difficult days with their own challenging circumstances. atlantaparent.com