Let’s talk about the fact that the entire world is on a terrifying ride right now…. one we’d all jump off in a heartbeat if we could. As far as I can tell, not one person is unaffected. Of course, as a mom, a huge concern of mine is getting my kids through this crisis, unscathed, if at all possible.
It’s not one of those situations that we can shield our kids from entirely… they’re out of school for an indefinite amount of time, and it’s clearly not summer. We have to monitor our toilet paper usage, and apparently, a portion of the population is just now teaching their kids how to wash their hands. Even the most blissfully unaware children are bound to pick up on the fact that something is “off”, and they’re going to want an explanation.
In our house, this means our conversations are often centered around ninjas. Before you write me off as crazy, this is the best method I’ve used to date. This sometimes even works better than the candy I usually pour on my kids when I’m worried they’re hurt, scared, or sad. (I’m not proud of that go-to, but sometimes a hug doesn’t quite cut it.)
When my oldest was 4, and my middle almost 3, the questions started pouring in…. Why do I have to eat that? Why do I have to go to bed? Why do I have to wash my hands? Why do I have to take those vitamins? Why, Why, WHY?!?
This ninja thing started out as me just telling a little bedtime story. We were fighting off yet another virus, and I went with the “visualization” method. If they could imagine their body fighting off the germs, then maybe it really would! What better way to visualize fighting off the bad germs than some super cool ninjas kicking butt? The boys were immediately wide-eyed and actually listening to me for once.
Well, how it works is…. Your body is filled with tons and tons of ninjas. These ninjas are super strong and agile and have the BEST moves. Everything you do to take care of your body helps these ninjas get stronger. (It helps to get super animated and maybe even do a couple “Hi-ya” moves while telling them this).
Now, we talk about ninjas… All. Day. Long.
Why do we have to get shots?? – They give your ninjas nunchucks that help them fight the bad guys!
Why do I have to go to bed? – If you don’t get good sleep, your ninjas can’t rest, and they’ll get tired. If they’re tired, they can’t fight the bad guys!
Why do we have to brush our teeth? – Toothpaste gives your ninjas extra powers, so when you brush, your ninjas can fight the germs trying to eat your teeth!
How does this relate to Coronavirus, you ask?? I want to explain to my kids why we’re holed up in the house, without them ending up germaphobic like me. I want them to understand the importance of what we’re doing, without them feeling that their safety and well being are at risk.
I have explained to my boys that there are some people whose ninjas aren’t as strong as ours, for one reason or another. We are staying inside to protect the people whose ninjas aren’t able to fight the virus. We need to keep doing all the good things we do to protect our own ninjas, but even more important, we need to do our part to protect the people who can’t protect themselves.
The reason I know that my boys understand this concept is because we had this exact conversation the first year of their baby sister’s life. With both boys starting preschool right after she was born, we had a brand new baby to protect from all the sickness coming home. The rules didn’t make any sense to them until I explained that she was born without ninjas. We have to do our part to protect her until she is big and strong enough to protect herself…. It was like a lightbulb went off in their heads, and everything magically made sense!
For the record, it’s not strictly limited to ninjas… use whatever your kids get excited about! Super Heroes are pretty sweet, and there are some badass princesses out there… hello, Elena of Avalor anyone?? It simply helps emphasize that we are so beyond fortunate to have the ability to fight this virus. Not everyone is so lucky. I also love that the boys can feel proud of what they’re doing to keep others safe. I hope everyone is hanging in there!!