Forecasting the end of the coronavirus epidemic by doctors, governors, and smart people like Bill Gates will keep us at home for another six to ten weeks, meaning the earliest we can expect anything normal is about mid-May and the latest could run till mid-June.
In the meantime, parents are cooped up with their children till the beginning of summer. To survive that length of time with children demands infinite patience and unending creativity. This blog is meant to be a saving suggestion that could make life easier and more exciting well beyond the end of this nightmare we are all sharing. And maybe is comes just in time.
BJ Fogg’s book Tiny Habits, The Small Changes that Change Everything (2020 – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; New York) just hit the bookshelves and is the latest in behavior modification. BJ is a behavior scientist who teaches at Stanford University and has been working on habits, reducing our efforts to create good habits and getting rid of our bad ones in simple, easy steps, though it still demands intentional work on our part.
Here is what Amazon books says about BJ Fogg’s books:
When it comes to change, TINY IS MIGHTY. Start with two pushups a day, not a two-hour workout; or five deep breaths each morning rather than an hour of meditation. In TINY HABITS, B.J. Fogg brings his experience coaching more than 40,000 people to help you lose weight, de-stress, sleep better, or achieve any goal of your choice. You just need Fogg’s behavior formula: make it easy, make it fit your life, and make it rewarding. Whenever you get in your car, take one yoga breath. Smile. Whenever you get in bed, turn off your phone. Give yourself a high five.
Change can be easy—once it starts, it grows. Let B. J. Fogg show you exactly how.
His book applies to children as well as to us adults. In fact, it works better with children, because they like little, easy stuff to make their lives more fun. You will find this book rewarding not for just now but for well after we are seemingly back to normal … whatever that will be like when we are out from under.
Another suggestion for your at-home children is what is free online from museums around the country. There are many online virtual tours from museums and zoos to help entertain your children during the national shutdown due to Covid-19. Check them out for times and topics.
