How to Say STAY AWAY FROM MY KIDS but in a Nice Way
Aidil Fitri, the much-anticipated holiday that marks the end of Ramadhan. It’s a day of joy, happiness, and celebration with the family back in kampung. Parents get excited about the food during Raya, meeting with long-lost family and friends, while the kids would be excited about the bunga api and duit raya. Who wouldn’t, right?
However, as parents, we can’t help but to worry about our children’s safety and health during this time. It’s a time of gathering, so how can we keep our children safe from family members who want to shower them with hugs and kisses without hurting their feelings? We know they mean well, and want to show their affection, but as parents, we are worried about the virus transmission that could happen, and our children falling sick. When our children fall sick, you know what that means? Us having to take time off from work to take care of them. Just think about the annual leaves and emergency leaves you have left. It is precious, so we have to make sure everyone is on top of their game for their health.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Firstly, it’s important to acknowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic has made us all a little more cautious when it comes to physical contact. Especially with the cases rising now still, even after 2 years since it all began. While we want to celebrate with our families, we also want to make sure that everyone stays safe and healthy. So how can we do that?
WHAT OTHER PARENTS ARE SAYING
In a poll we did on Instagram, most parents voted for keeping their children attached to them at all times, or just accept that this is the time where people will want to gather and avoiding physical contact is not possible, so just remember to sanitize! Perhaps we can try some of these tips as well, and let us know if it worked?
But if you need more tips, fret not, here are some more!
Another way is to have an open and honest conversation with our family members before Aidil Fitri. Let them know that while we would love to see them, we also want to be cautious and keep our children safe. We can explain that our children are at higher risk of getting sick and we want to take every precaution we can to keep them healthy. We don’t want our kids falling sick during Raya celebration, that would dampen everyone’s mood.
It’s also a good idea to set boundaries and expectations early on. We can let our family members know that we prefer to keep physical contact to a minimum, and that we’ll be asking our children to avoid hugging and kissing this year. Instead, we can suggest other ways of showing affection, such as waving, blowing kisses, or giving air hugs. We have to be strong in our stance, and not allowing our children to hug or kiss, or salam the elders does not in any way mean that we are teaching our children to be rude and not respectful of the elders. It just means that we show our respect and affection in other ways.
If family members insist on physical contact, we can politely and respectfully decline. We can say something like, “Thank you for your love and affection, but we’re trying to keep our children safe this year. We appreciate your understanding.” It’s important to remember that it’s okay to say no, and that we don’t have to sacrifice our children’s safety for the sake of politeness. It is hard to do, but you have to do what needs to be done.
If all of these do not work, perhaps we can consider staying in for Raya, or if it is better to leave the kids at home, then remember to leave your kids at home with adult supervision. Kiddocare’s exceptional babysitters, also known as The Amazing Kiddocarers maybe?
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AND STAY SAFE!
Just remember, while Aidil Fitri is a day of celebration and joy, it’s also important to prioritize our children’s safety. By having open and honest conversations with our family members, setting boundaries and expectations, and getting creative with our celebrations, we can still enjoy this special day while keeping our children safe. Let’s make this year’s Aidil Fitri a celebration of love, joy, and safety.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri from the Kiddocare Team!
Written by:
Sabrina Fauzan
