Dear Parents,

It is clear that COVD 19, will be with us for a while. It will not end before the holidays, or the New Year and not before Halloween!

Though many of us are still in a state of semi shock, we are going to need to make the best of a strange and different time to ensure the well being, mental health and optimism of our children and teens. This means we are going to have to get creative, care for ourselves as well as we possibly can and talk to our family members and partners as we plan.

Costumes are a wonderful part of our Halloween tradition! Making treats for your own family, dressing up for a zoom party with friends and relatives can be so much fun and for relatives who are older and at a distance, it can be a very loving way to enjoy Halloween. Decorating the outside of your apartment or house is a fun activity to plan and do with your kids.

We have not had much guidance yet, in VT about trick or treating. Please listen for information from the VT Department of Health and or check in with your pediatrician before you make plans to go trick or treating.

Holiday decorations for all the special days to come can be fun when we and our kids make them together. Colored paper, glue, leaves, pine needles, and maybe some sparkles can transform our home and help lift our moods. Singing special songs together, baking favorite cookies and leaving one in the mailbox for the postman or on neighbors’ doors… with a little tape is truly fun! Write cards to grandparents and others who we may be unable to see in person or to people we do not know who live in nursing homes and are far from their relatives too. Watching special holiday movies together while enjoying popcorn can make lots of fun memories.

Kids can be encouraged to put on a concert or a play in the living room; start a big puzzle that the whole family can make together. Cooking, baking bread… making something your family has not made before is awesome, yummy and fun.

Be outside, as much as possible. We are so fortunate in Vermont to have beautiful trails, parks, ponds and lakes, etc. to enjoy. Children need to be outside and being outside one on one or as a family is the best!

Please take some time to talk about Thanksgiving and any other holidays coming up that you have enjoyed and celebrated in the past. It is not too early to start thinking of ways to share some love with your friends, neighbors and extended family. It is good for our children and teens to be caring about others and good for us all to celebrate life, renewal and hope for the future during the 2020 holiday season.

We are Vermont Strong together in so very many ways!

Parent’s Helpline: 1-800-CHILDREN, 1-800-244-5373