The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives. From remote working to social distancing and school closures, there is a lot to manage for everyone, especially parents. Therefore, we have gathered several Malaysians to share their parenting struggles during the pandemic, as well as some possible solutions to those challenges.
1. “Seeing them cooped up at home & not enjoying the outdoors is depressing”
“My four-year-old used to visit the playground every evening but now, to ensure his safety, we felt it would be best that he stays home until he gets vaccinated.” — Venessa, 32
Outdoor activities provide children with the opportunities to explore the natural environment through fun adventures.? Besides exercising and testing their physical limits, they can also build their social skills through interactions with other children.
Solution: Since unvaccinated children are encouraged to stay at home during the pandemic, parents can try to bring the outdoors to them instead! Some fun options include inflatable pools, indoor camping, or even a treasure hunt at home! ⛺️
2. “My kids just refuse to put on their masks”
“My child cries when we try to put on a mask for her. She doesn’t understand why she has to wear it, and why she can’t give her friends a big hug like she used to.” — Daniel, 30
Some children are too young to understand the importance of SOPs and the dangers of Covid-19. Since wearing a mask can be uncomfortable, many children refuse to wear face masks. ?
Solution: Make an agreement with your children to only leave the house when they wear their masks. Comply with this rule strictly every time before heading out. No mask = no jalan-jalan. When they do comply, remember to reward them. Consistency is key!
3. “I get very anxious when my child goes back to school”
“Every time the school reopens, I’m constantly worried about my daughter who sits in a class of 30 students. But I’m glad that the school implements strict SOPs to ensure the safety of students.” — Lee, 36
It is undeniable that the school is one of the high-risk places, but don’t worry! With the collaboration of parents and teachers, we can make schools a safe place for our children. ?
Solution: Liaise closely with teachers and other parents to ensure that all school activities are well-planned in compliance with the SOPs. Every week before returning to school, ensure that all children conduct self-tests using government-approved RTK-Antigen Test Kits.
4. “Supervising my child’s online studies while working from home is exhausting”
“Since my children started online learning, I have to constantly monitor them to make sure they pay attention in class. I find it quite tiring as they get distracted very easily.” — May, 33
Helping and guiding children with their online studies can be exhausting, especially when there’s also a lot to do at work! ? But do you know that there are easy and effective ways that help with your children’s online learning?
Solution: Set up a space that is conducive for online learning. Remove all distractions from the learning environment, including mobile phones, board games, and TV. Additionally, you can also set up flexible schedules for their classes and tasks. Make sure to include breaks to strike a healthy balance between school and playtime.
5. “The children are so loud that they interrupt my online meetings”
“I generally avoid conducting online meetings when I work from home, because I’m pretty sure that the background noise of my kids playing or crying can interrupt the meetings.” — Omar, 37
If you have two or more young children at home, you probably know what we’re talking about. And while we absolutely love our kids, we also understand how frustrating (and in some cases, awkward) those noises can be! ?
Solution: When there’s an important meeting coming up, be sure to keep your children occupied with fun tasks such as completing colouring books and watching educational animations! But make sure to only give them these “special tasks” during “special occasions” like during meeting time so that they don’t get bored quickly.
6. “Vaccinating my children is a HUGE challenge — they’re afraid of needles”
“My child is terrified of needles. We had a hard time completing her first dose at the PPV, as she couldn’t stop crying and struggling.” — Hanim, 30
The fear of injections is common among children. Besides needles, the intimidating environment in vaccination centres is yet another factor that elevates the fear among kids during injection. However, we believe that with the right methods, we can help our children overcome this fear and improve their injection experience.
Solution: Find fun and educational videos that teach children about vaccinations and the importance of getting vaccinated. Try to improve their vaccination experience by bringing them to kid-friendly PPVs and encouraging them throughout the process. Don’t forget to reward them for their bravery after the injections! ?
Wait, “kid-friendly PPVs“??? Got such thing meh? Yes, yes there is!!!
From now ’til 30th April, Goodday Milk has partnered up with selected PPV centres to make vaccination centres a fun place for kids and improve their overall experience!
Yup, that’s right! Dedicated to lightening the burden of parents, Goodday Milk has set up booths at several PPV centres in hopes of reducing anxiety or fear amongst children while waiting for vaccination. With this initiative, Goodday Milk continues to ‘Let the goodness flow’ by bringing joy and happiness to kids. Check out the selected PPV centres below:
- MMU: today – 31st March
- Emporium Kota Damansara: 25th March – 30th April
Other than interactive booths, there are also free gifts and prizes up for grabs! ? Here’s what you and your children can expect from this wholesome campaign:
- Vaccination booths decorated with children’s paintings
- Using submissions from Goodday’s Happee PPEs Campaign (where kids were asked to submit their paintings and the winning submissions were printed on PPEs and sent to selected hospitals across Malaysia ?), these beautiful drawings will surely brighten up the atmosphere, thus calming children from their fear of injections. ?
- Fun sampling booths & photo booths
- Sampling booths: After your children get vaccinated, reward them for their bravery with the goodness of Goodday Milk for FREE!!! ?
- Photo booths: Don’t forget to also snap a couple of photos of your children behind the accomplishment boards to remember this special day! ?
If you didn’t get the chance to visit Goodday’s selected PPVs for your children’s vaccinations, don’t worry! Goodday Milk is also rewarding children who have received their vaccinations with FREE VOUCHERS!
Throughout the campaign period, join the Goodday Digital Contest and win vouchers for two cartons of Goodday products!
The best part is that 10 lucky winners will be selected on a weekly basis throughout the campaign period—this means that there will be 40 winners in total! ? Here’s how to participate in this exciting contest:
1. Take a vaccination-themed photo of/with your children.
2. Decorate the photo with GIFs or stickers that are related to vaccination. Unleash your creativity!
3. Post the screenshot in the comments section of this post and use the hashtags #GooddayMilkMalaysia #GooddayHappeePPVs
That’s it! Stay tuned to the weekly winners’ announcement on Gooodday Milk Malaysia’s Facebook page! Quick, try your luck now as the contest ends on 20th April!
With Goodday booths present at PPVs, your children will surely find vaccination centres less intimidating, which can help smoothen their vaccination process and hopefully, give them a more memorable and light-hearted experience.
It is also important to note that while vaccinations can lower the risk of contracting and spreading the virus, it does not guarantee full protection against Covid-19. So, make sure that your children still comply with the SOPs at all times okay! ?? Keep up the great work, mums and dads!
For more information regarding Goodday Milk’s Kid-Friendly Vaccination program, visit their Facebook page here.
What other parenting struggles have you encountered during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments below!
