I remember growing up, a lot of changes happening at home were explained to me. For example, at some point, I had to change schools, this was a big move for me, but nobody said why, I however gathered it was because of financial issues.
My parents were the ones having financial problems technically, but it was happening to all of us and I was impacted too. Nobody supported me through the adjustment and change, I was left to just accept it and move on despite losing my old school, my friends, my community.
So often we see children, however we don’t engage with children as full human beings who experience things happening to them instead of just around them.
Trust me, the petrol price and inflation is not just affecting you as the adult who has to worry about putting food on the table and getting your family from A to B, it’s also affecting your children who don’t have the same responsibilities but will definitely experience any life adjustment and change.
A lot of changes have happened in my life in the last couple of months and I was so naive to think the changes are happening around my children and not to my children until I started observing their behaviour.
I was more worried about my older child going through these changes until I saw my two year old crying a lot during the period of changes, being more aggressive and having major separation anxiety.
I realised my small baby was not small anymore and needed more understanding and reassurance.
It was a reminder that while children don’t carry the same responsibilities as parents, they carry the changes and adjustments.
It could be a death in the family, a new member in the family, a new job for mom or dad, a new position at work, unemployment, a health pandemic, and etc- they impact on our kids too, not in the same way, however they do.
Some changes don’t impact children as much because of what’s important to them at that stage in their lives is not the same as what’s important to you or their young adult sibling, for us to know, depending on age, it’s to communicate with our kids.
How did I help my toddler?
I started explaining things to him and realised he understands, I also reassured him and had empathy when he was struggling with separation.
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