BIG WORRIES IN LITTLE KIDS Kids are increasingly anxious during this tumultuous year. Help them cope and deal with their worries.
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By Kelsey Casselbury
ne of the first things a parent learns after the birth of their first baby is the importance of a routine. Whether it’s an eat-play-sleep routine for an infant or a customary school day, followed by homework, dinner and a bath for an elementary schooler, children are soothed by knowing where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there, and how they’re expected to behave. When a global pandemic comes along, however, those routines go out the window. Schools and daycares close, playdates screech to a halt, and all of a sudden, the rules for screen time mean absolutely nothing. Grandma and grandpa
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don’t come around much anymore. On top of that, there’s a lot of talk that doesn’t make much sense to a little one, but there’s scary words like “virus” and “death” being whispered. It’s no wonder that children, even those who have never had a nervous bone in their body, are showing signs that they’re on edge. “Anxiety is on the rise, clearly,” says Marna Brickman, LCSW-C, a psychotherapist with Spectrum Behavioral Health in Crofton, who has seen an uptick in parents bringing their child in for professional help. “We’ve never been through anything like this, so there’s no record in our mind of how to deal with it.”