April Showers: When you don’t know what to do anymore!
Should I send my kid back to school?
Is better to send them back full-time or part-time?
Should I give my kid the vaccine?
How much is this all impacting my kid?
What a mess!
I don’t know about you, but lately it just feels like there is an abundance of information about what is “best” for us and the kiddos during this pandemic. And to top it all off, it’s happening during a very politically charged time. So when making a decision about what is best for you and your children it can lead to quite a bit of distress - especially if how you’re feeling doesn’t necessarily align with what you think about the situation.
Figuring out the maze…
I wish I could tell you I have a straight forward answer for what is best for YOU and YOUR CHILD. Whether you should or should nor get the vaccine, if it is better to keep your kid home for the rest of the school year or send them back, what the long term impact of all of this is going to be, etc. But the truth is…the reason this feels so messy it there is no easy answer…there is no “right” answer…and we don’t truly know the long term impacts of anything, yet. I mean, don’t get me wrong - there are some very smart people out there, with some very good guesses - BUT it can still be difficult to determine what is best for you.
Soooo, what do you do what when the information you are getting is overwhelming? When it seems like there is good information on both sides? When your thoughts and feelings don’t match?
Pros and Cons!
That’s right! Whenever I am feeling stuck, overwhelmed, confused, or I just can’t seem to make a decision that feels right for me - I make a pros/cons list. But not just any pro/cons - I really get into into! Let’s take a look at how to do it…
Create a grid similar to the one below….
Now, you may be thinking…the pros of doing something is the same thing as the cons of not doing something (and I ALWAYS have a similar thought going into making my own), but in my experience with myself and with clients, this actually provides a richer experience.
Be sure to include things like your personal feelings, what you think is best, what you have heard is best, the judgements you think you’ll get from others, what may happen after the decision is made or not made (either “good” or “bad”) - basically - GET IT ALL OUT THERE!!
After you’ve put everything on the table so to speak, go through your list and identify:
Problems I can solve
Things I may need accept
You may find that as you identify problems to solve, there are additional pros/cons lists that need to be made - and that is okay! You are one step closer to figuring out what is best for YOU and YOU’RE FAMILY!
