While having your children get hurt is awful, you as the parent being the one who’s hurt is only slightly better in the eyes of most people. Especially if you have young children, being down due to an injury can make your daily lives very difficult. And if your injury is something that’s not going to quickly be solved, like a spinal cord injury or a broken bone, you may be anxious how you’ll still be able to take care of your children and all the responsibilities associated with them. So to help make this a little easier on everyone involved, here are three ways to keep being an effective parent when you’re injured.
Explain To Your Child What’s Going On
If things in your life are going to be vastly different now, even if it’s just for a short period of time, it’s still important that you explain to your child what’s going on. By doing this, you give your child the respect of being in the loop and knowing what’s happening within your family. According to Military One Source, you’ll want to use language that your child will understand based on their age and maturity. If your child is young, try to keep things simple as possible. If your child is older, you can be more open and honest about what’s going on and how things are going to be different.
Get The Help You Need
Since taking care of your children when you’re injured can be very challenging, you might need to bring in some additional help. If you have the means, you may want to consider hiring a nanny or babysitter to watch your children for a few hours day. You could also have a housekeeper come in to take care of some of the more domestic duties your family needs. If you can’t afford to hire these things out yourself, Zawn Villines, a contributor to SpinalCord.com, shares that there are government programs available to help you out, depending on your unique situation.
Prepare For Convenience Over All Else
During this time, it’s important that you give yourself a break and try to feel comfortable with just doing the most convenient thing. According to MamasOnBedrest.com, this might mean having your kids watch TV more often than you otherwise would or creating meals that will be easy to make and save. The main focus for you right now is taking care of yourself and taking care of your kids. So if some other things have to take the back burner, it’s perfectly fine for that to happen.
If you have recently been injured and are worried about how you’ll take care of your kids during this time, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.