By Suheilah Abdalla
As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa-Raḥmatu -llāhi wa-Barakātuh.
Inshaa Allah, you, your families & your loved ones are in the best of health & Iman!
Summer is here & our children are still at home. Firstly, great job! We helped with schoolwork, sometimes teaching them ourselves & still kept up playtime, Ramadan & Eid, Mashaa Allah!
May Allah bless the work of our hands & put barakah in all we do. Ameen.
Most children that get COVID-19 have mild symptoms such as fever, dry cough & tiredness.
A new group of symptoms that is related to COVID-19 is “Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children”, or MIS-C. Symptoms of MIS-C for now include fever, rashes, red eyes, low blood pressure, tummy pain, diarrhea, vomiting, swollen/red hands & feet/toes.
Alhamdulillah, even with this new information, most kids are still having mild symptoms & those with serious symptoms are beating the disease. But, we must make sure we call our healthcare providers when we feel something is wrong. Parents know when our kids are not acting like their normal selves & we have to make sure their doctors also understand that.
Let’s keep them away from crowds, remind them to wash their hands & leave outdoor shoes outdoors.
There have been big changes in their lives, & in the world, & we want to make sure they are handling this well. Tell them the truth about what’s going on, answer their questions, but use language that they can understand, depending on their ages.
Inshaa Allah, we can take this opportunity to give our kids some more responsibilities & chores to help them feel useful & needed. The more we expect of them, the more they will surprise us & deliver, Inshaa Allah!
Let’s also use the opportunity to reinforce kindness, sharing & taking turns. Family game night at least once a week, with phones put away is a great way to do this.
At some point in the day, maybe after our prayers, let’s take a minute to pause & ask our children, on a one-to-one basis, how they are, make eye contact & listen to their answers.
Thank you