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By Sheryl Pidgeon | Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Like many of you, I find it challenging to grasp the scale of the Coronavirus pandemic. I often use the term “surreal” to express my emotions, but it is undeniably real.
While we as adults are trying to cope with our ongoing challenges—wearing masks and gloves, disinfecting ourselves and our groceries, canceling summer vacations, and dealing with a multitude of uncertainties—our children are also experiencing their own anguish and sorrow. As they start to accept this new normal, we have shown them that health takes precedence over everything else, and the familiar experiences they once enjoyed now seem distant. Perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect is not just the missed experiences, but the loss of camaraderie—the joy of sharing moments with extended family, friends, and our community.
Optimists like myself strive to find the silver lining: more time spent with our kids, leisurely walks, a slower pace of life, and a reassessment of what truly matters. However, many experts believe the best approach to support our children during these times is simply to listen to them and validate their feelings without attempting to “fix” everything.
As parents, we are wrestling with our own set of challenges—job loss or insecurity, being unable to care for or even see our aging parents, homeschooling, reorganizing our homes, preparing healthy meals for our families, worrying about losing loved ones, and a host of other emotions that we are all too familiar with. We are tasked with guiding our children through this, helping them to see the positives, and encouraging perseverance. Just as airlines advise in an in-flight emergency, “Put your mask on first before assisting those around you.” We must hold it together for our children’s sake. Even when we feel like breaking down, we cannot afford that luxury if we wish to help our families emerge from these uncertain times stronger, wiser, and at the very least, okay.
Here at Good Life Family Magazine, we have reached out to a diverse group of experts for their insights, and they have graciously provided answers. While you turn to your primary news outlets for daily updates, we hope our content serves as a valuable resource to help you navigate your day-to-day life.
We’ve had to implement some significant changes, including how we deliver our content. We transitioned away from our print edition in March, opening up our website for daily updates, timely advice, and valuable tips through our weekly e-newsletter. An exciting development is the launch of a GLF podcast in July where you can listen to our experts. While we’ve made necessary cutbacks to stay afloat, our content will remain completely free for everyone, enabling us to amplify important news and information that benefits our readers, viewers, and soon, listeners, as we virtually come together to navigate this extremely tumultuous journey.
We invite you to share your expertise, thoughts, and inspirations with us. We want to hear from you! If you have a product, service, or expertise that supports “sandwich generation” parents, consider partnering with us as an advertiser or sponsor. It’s a mutually beneficial opportunity: we can act as your megaphone, allowing us to continue fulfilling our mission of helping families improve their lives.
LIVE. LEARN. LAUGH. REPEAT.
GLF Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Sheryl Lilly Pidgeon (far left) alongside her “silver lining” – her family – from L to R: Lindsey, Bryce, Jaxie, and husband David, on a summer vacation in Vail in 2018.
