I think that one of the best things that has happened during the COVID19 pandemic is families using virtual meetings to stay in touch with each other. My family started to do that with our extended family every two weeks and it has been a source of joy, bringing us closer together. Planning a virtual meeting is very helpful to make sure you have topics to stir conversations and always remember to include the children.
I view these family virtual meetings as similar to when all the family members get together to share a meal. During those mealtimes, children are all around us, enjoying the meal and often listening to the conversations too and joining in the laughter.
Sometimes, it is challenging to get your children to talk about what is going on in their lives. How do we get them to participate? One of the ways I recommend is to plan ahead of time as to what topics will be discussed. Tell your children about those topics and ask them to think about what they will say. Be sure to ask them to share their thoughts during the virtual meeting.
Since children love to laugh, you can plan on a joke fest. Have each person select and tell a joke about something during the pandemic. Laughter is the best medicine!
It is important that all children feel acknowledged and respected. Siblings can be condemning to each other so establish ground rules ahead of time that put downs and criticisms will not be tolerated. If you see another family member’s child at the virtual meeting but not talking, you can try asking that child a specific question.
The topics to talk about during the virtual meetings are innumerable. Let’s make sure to actively include children in our discussions.