Our Teens Are Missing So Many Milestones, but There Are Things We Can Do
Originally published as "Our Teens Are Missing So Many Milestones, but There Are Things We Can Do," Hartford Courant, June 14, 2020
Graduation, prom, banquets, trips. Our teenagers are lamenting so many lost milestones. My daughter, a high school senior, recently summed up her thoughts about graduating amid a pandemic: “It feels like the light at the end of the tunnel was just snuffed out.”
As a parent, it is a daily struggle not to get swept up in the sadness of the losses forced by COVID-19. As a school psychologist, I am trying my best to heed what I know about coping and promoting resilience. Life is supposed to present us with bumps — bumps can help us grow if the right supports are available to brace for them. But the intensity of the current global situation means that we need to identify and draw on positive coping resources more purposefully.