Enriched Family Roundup: Resources for Youth and Parents on Consent, Puberty, Friendship, Gender Identity, & Sex Education

The month of February seems like a perfect time for this Enriched Family roundup on consent, puberty, friendship, feelings, gender identity, & sex education resources for youth and parents. There are many fantastic resources to help support parents’ and caregivers’ conversations about these topics in age-appropriate, affirming, and non-shaming ways. There are also lots of resources specifically for youth that are appropriate at different age levels. So, after doing my research, I want to share with other parents and caregivers.

Reading these resources with your kids can start conversations and let your children know you are open to their questions. As with all resources, parents and caregivers should review the materials first to be sure they are suitable for your specific child and family.

Enriched Family Roundup: Alternative Schooling Options for the Fall

Austin parents, we have had a hard past few months and it doesn’t look like things are going to get much easier. After 4+ months of quarantine (to greater or lesser degrees), COVID rates in Texas are skyrocketing, and city, county, and state officials are considering a return to lockdown to prevent the ongoing spread. Having juggled online schooling, work, and childcare during the spring semester, it seems we will be back at it come fall. On July 14th, the City of Austin and Travis County enacted a joint order banning in-person classes for all schools through September 7th. What this means is that all students in the affected districts will shift to remote learning again, for at least the first three weeks of school, including students in the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Del Valle ISD, Eanes ISD, Lago Vista ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Manor ISD, Pflugerville ISD, and all other public school districts in the city limits and county of Travis. It is unclear what will happen beyond September 7th. If COVID has taught us anything, it is to not try to look too hard into the future as things are always changing. While I don’t want to be “gloom and doom”, it is important to acknowledge that this situation poses immense hardships for all parents, but particularly for working parents.

This post, therefore, is focused on rounding up a variety of alternative schooling options for the fall that parents can consider, whether temporarily (until in-person schooling starts again) or for the full fall semester and potentially longer. Options include a discussion of and resources on homeschooling; pod-type learning environments; nannies/tutors; small, private preschools or kindergarten programs; and YMCA child care for essential workers (a good option for the fall if your children are not yet of school age or if you need some summer childcare).

Parenting with Anxiety

I have managed anxiety (and periodic depression), to greater or lesser degrees, for most of my life. Nevertheless, I did not recognize my anxiety as a mental health issue for many years. For much of my life, I felt a sense of shame about my anxiety. I told myself if I was … fill in the blank … stronger, smarter, more resilient … I could “handle” my anxiety. It took age and experience to come to terms with knowing that I am incredibly strong, smart, and resilient, but sometimes anxiety still handles me. It wasn’t until I had my own children and they began to have some signs of anxiety that I recognized how intense my anxiety was from an early age.

While my anxiety is a challenge, it also comes with unique gifts. I am very sensitive and empathetic to other people’s emotions. I am a list-maker and planner extraordinaire. My hyper vigilance makes me a very safe and reliable person, as well as extremely detail-oriented and organized. I am an incredibly hard worker, highly focused, and push myself to excel. I also have a strong sense of responsibility. While these traits have many positives, they are also fairly exhausting at times.

Who knew that another gift of lifelong anxiety would be that it prepared me – at least to a certain extent – to deal with a pandemic? For me, the sky was always falling. Only now, everyone else sees it too. Oddly, there is a sense of comfort in knowing I am not alone in dealing with anxiety these days. So, if you have been dealing with anxiety all your life or are new to experiencing anxiety largely as a result of the COVID-19 situation and/or the current racial, economic, and social tumult in the United States, you are not alone. Maybe you don’t have anxiety, but someone you love does or you are parenting a child or adolescent with anxiety. This post is for you. While in no way meant to provide medical advice, this post provides salient information and resources related to anxiety from well-respected, credible sources. Given the ongoing issues of racial injustice and police brutality in our country, and in honor of July being Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, I have also included a number of resources specifically for Black communities and People of Color.

Enriched Family Covid-19 Resources, Plus How to Help + Get Help

Mamas and papas, like so many of you, I am reeling these days. I want to say that I see you. It is SO hard to parent full time, not to mention work full time from home, while simultaneously worrying about one’s family, elders, neighbors, community, job, economy, and the world. Anxiety is running high these days. We are faced with some fairly insane and critical demands all at the same time. Our new normal is surreal and scary, but each day, we keep pushing.

The researcher and family coach in me wants to figure out how to help in some small way. In this issue, I focus on a consolidated list of available resources to help you and your family during this time. It’s not exhaustive, but it is pretty thorough. Think DIY cleaning supplies, workouts you can do at home, online learning and entertainment for kids, and mental health resources. I have focused largely on free resources, but of course there are a ton of online paid resources out there as well. In addition, this blog post also contains a compilation of ways you can help your community and a list of information and resources to get help if you need it.

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