If you’re parenting through the pandemic, you’re doing something that hasn’t been done in this country in 100 years.

Nothing—nobody—has prepared you for this.

Let me give you a boost of encouragement.

You are doing better than you think. Give yourself a break. Cut yourself some slack. Lower your expectations.

As long as the kids are fed and safe—what you’re doing and how you’re managing this is good enough.

This quote about parenting through the pandemic says it well:

You’ll find even more encouragement about parenting through the pandemic in this article by Tara Haelle.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from it:

“I think we maybe underestimate how severe the adversity is and that people may be experiencing a normal reaction to a pretty severe and ongoing, unfolding, cascading disaster. It’s important to recognize that it’s normal in a situation of great uncertainty and chronic stress to get exhausted and to feel ups and downs, to feel like you’re depleted or experience periods of burnout.”

“This is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s expecting a lot to think we’d be managing this really well.”

~Ann Masten, PhD, a psychologist and professor of child development at the University of Minnesota

Encourage yourself today—not by managing perfectly today—but by doing this.

What makes a good life? To find out, let’s look at the longest study, ever, on human happiness.

You can help your kids have happy lives by setting them up for careers they love.

Having kids in the house keeps us looking toward the future. It constantly lifts our eyes to the horizon—to what will be years down the line.

In chaotic, uncertain times, this is good for us.

Especially when we say to ourselves, “I can’t control what’s going on in the world right now, but I can control my own behavior and choices. Right now, today, I can take some small manageable steps toward bright futures for the kids.”

I provide very short reading assignments that help with this—every week in my free weekly email newsletter.

Anyone can subscribe for free here.

Our country has been through frightening, chaotic times before, and we will go through them again. How great it is—to build our confidence that our kids are going to thrive and flourish in years to come—no matter what happens.

Being a parent—what’s it like?

Tonight, in just a few minutes after dinner, get your kids ready to open their own parachutes.

I can help you get those kids (ages 12–26) through college debt-free and into jobs they love afterward.

You CAN do this! Getting your kids through college debt-free is achievable!

You can achieve this great goal—you just need someone to guide you.

It takes a lot of internal fortitude to stay with the process of getting your kids through college debt-free.

Which ladder would you rather climb?

Getting your kid through college debt-free is just like any other endeavor in life—you get to that goal by moving forward, one step at a time.

You got through that last part, didn’t you?

Then you are getting through.

This holiday season, don’t forget to have some empathy and kindness for yourself.