Stay updated with breaking news from ஜெசிகா சிவர்ஸ். Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
A return to pre-lockdown life looms Twas the night before March 8, and all through the house… parents were frantically ironing shirts, hunting for lunch boxes (fact: lids are to kitchen cupboards what socks are to washing machines) and cursing the fact they’d just bought new blazers last March, right before schools shut for months on end and children grew about a foot and a half. Meanwhile, children, having become accustomed to only prising their eyes open minutes before online registration, and taking advantage of muted mics to wander out of class for snacks and unfeasibly lengthy toilet breaks, were in several shades of meltdown. ....
Amanda Kusek recently inspired me all the way from her garden in New York to my own grotty London lockdown setup, when she conveyed a thought I’d been nursing privately for a while. “This year my theme is DREAM BIGGER,” Kusek posted under a photo of herself in a jumper with FUCK OFF written right across it. “I noticed over the past couple of years my goals have become too reasonable,” the 33-year-old account manager wrote. “So, for 2021, I’m done being reasonable.” Now, I’d love to write an article that didn’t mention the pandemic, but let’s face it, if ever big dreams were having a rough ride, it’s right now. Unsure what’s happening tomorrow, next week or next month, we are living in a state of infinite present. And this low-level stress means most of us are struggling to make plans for dinner, let alone our lives. ....
Children thrive on structure and purpose – so set them one achievable goal each day With the rituals of daily life missing, our children are feeling rudderless - so set them some regular, positive tasks Sarah Rodrigues with children Cassian, Leon and Phoenix Credit: Andrew Crowley Not so long ago (or maybe it was months ago - who knows in these sluggish, samey-samey days?) I wrote about the human need for milestones and markers, and the psychological effects that their absence may have been having on many. The focus was celebrations – Christmas, birthdays, New Year and such like. But what about this broader lack of structure – and, in particular, its impact on children? ....