5 Things 2020 Has Taught Us About Parenting

Technology isn’t just for entertainment

A Year ago it was quite fashionable to talk about the digital leap that humanity would take at some point during the next decade or two. We had the technology but no urgent need to explore different ways of using it. Then came lockdowns, and now, even four years olds have playdates via zoom. Education, hobbies and work have very much moved to online space and most likely they will stay there bringing a very different kind of childhood to our kids than we had in mind and will change the stigma attached to “screen time”.

 Daddy is here to stay!

In November The Guardian wrote an article stating that the pandemic has created a permanent shift in parenting roles. Research done in Britain suggests that during lockdowns fathers have more or less doubled the time they spend at childcare. A shift in parenting roles is another trend that was coming, but  needed the push of the pandemic to become real. It is predicted that once dad’s have known how it feels to spend more time with your children there is no turning back to the constant hours spent at the office or travelling for work.

 School is for socializing

We often think that schools exist for education and providing children the knowledge they need to build successful lives. How wrong were we! Education and knowledge can be spread online, but physical schools have actually a huge role in our social life and thus for well-being. For people who work there, school provides a social circle and a coffee break with colleagues. For students, schools is about friends and a chance to learn complex social skills. For parents, schools offer a safe place to put their kids during the day so that they can concentrate on work, or whatever tasks they need time for.

 Our kids will be the most hygiene conscious generation yet

There was a time when it was okay to think that a hygiene conscious person was a bit of a germ freak. Not anymore and definitely in our children’s eyes. I dare to say that during the past year the whole planet has learned how to properly wash hands and this will not change. We know more about the importance of proper ventilation in preventing viruses, and it will be very interesting to see whether we will be able to enter busy spaces be it restaurants or malls ever again.

 Back to the Eighties

This year has partly felt like my own childhood during the Eighties – just with the added technology. Life was simple then. We went to school, met friends mostly outdoors and a trip to a supermarket in the neighboring town was a big event and I still remember it fondly 35 years later. As this year stripped out most hobbies, travel and social events from our lives, we as families have spent more time together than before and many have noticed, they actually like the simplified lifestyle with no constant rush from place to place.

Text Kati Melto