Schools are closed, parents are working from home and families are adjusting to dramatic shifts in routines with questions about how to manage it all.

Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is supporting families during the pandemic through a weekly video series called “Thrive With Your Family” that will address parents’ top questions. Episodes will be broadcast on Tuesdays at noon EST starting April 14 on the Mott Facebook page (@MottChildren) and the Michigan Medicine YouTube channel.

The series will involve a nationally recognized panel leading candid conversations about parenting, child behavior, mental health and relationships in this fast-changing environment. 

“We know parents have been under a huge amount of stress due to school closings and the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Mott developmental behavioral pediatrician Jenny Radesky, M.D., who is also a mother of two. “We wanted to provide families with a resource for emotional wellness. 

“We’ll tackle the stressors, concerns and difficulties families are facing. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how to maintain a sense of hope and understanding, and tips for maintaining a problem-solving mindset even amidst circumstances that can feel out of our control.”

Parents and community members may submit a topic or ask questions for the panel to answer in an upcoming episode at www.mottchildren.org/thrive.

Radesky will moderate discussions and panelists will rotate regularly, with guest panelists from Michigan Medicine and beyond. 

“When the situation is so rapidly changing and stressors are all around us, we can have really big emotional reactions. We might feel angry, helpless and stressed out. All of these reactions are normal, but it’s even harder when your children are having reactions of their own,” Radesky says.

“We are here to help. We want to create a space where we can talk about these experiences and all feel like we have a regular touchpoint to all go through this together.”