Students will be in class for just eight days this month between weekends, public holidays and school holidays, with that number lowering to seven days for some as many schools are taking a teacher-only day on the 24th.
Clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire joined Breakfast this morning to share tips for parents facing a busy April, advising "you've got to split this conversation in two".
"You've got a group of parents who probably can work from home on Zoom, and then that's about strategies, about navigating expectations at home, et cetera," she said.
Clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire joined Breakfast to share tips for parents facing a busy April. (Source: Breakfast)
"And then you've got a group of parents who don't get that freedom, who perhaps have to be on the floor, they work in retail, in hair salons, on construction sites... If we look at that group first, they've got pretty limited control over this period of time."
She said the second group face the question of navigating care for their children.
"I think that has to come back to, we've got to draw on our village," Maguire said. "How do we support whānau supporting whānau, community members supporting each other to actually get through this time.
"Maybe it's lining up rosters and doing play date swaps, so kids are cared for."
For parents who can work from home, the picture is different, Maguire said: "First of all, what is within your control?
"Can you have a conversation with your employer about the fact that it's almost lockdown 3.0?" she asked. "You've got the kids at home and you're trying to work, so what are the expectations?
"Do you have conversations if there's two parents in that household about how you divvy up and navigate time?"
She said some families will organise for one parent to wake up early and get work done before the children are up, so they have more time during the day, while other parents will have conversations with their children about the plan for the month.
"I think it's about expectations," she said. "None of us are superhuman and we can't nail it all at once."
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