Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, opened a candid video discussion with her parents about the challenges of raising and educating three children at home during detention. Catherine revealed that parents in time COVID-19 the pandemic left her “exhausted” and joked that her children withdrew in “horror” when she began to do her hair.
The mother of three participated in a discussion with three parents whose children attend Roe Green Junior School in Kingsbury, northwest London, with teacher Melissa Loosemore. In a “show and tell” exercise during the chat, which was shared on Instagram and on the YouTube channel of the Royal Family, Loosemore guided everyone to answer the questions by writing them down on a piece of paper. The first request was to write “a word describing the parents during this pandemic.”
The Duchess spoke “exhausting”, while the other parents joined in with similar sentiments, including “provocative”, “agitated” and “patient”.
Catherine explained her feelings by saying: “I became a hairdresser this block, to the horror of my children, seeing my mother cutting her hair. We had to become teachers – and I think, personally, I feel drawn in so many different directions. and try everything possible, but at the end of the day I feel exhausted ”.
She added: “I think that as parents, you have the day-to-day elements of being a parent, but I guess during the lock-in we had to take on additional roles that probably others in our communities or maybe he would have supported and helped us in our lives. “
During another exercise, the principal asked parents to note who was their biggest support during the pandemic. The Duchess noted “William”, her husband.
The last exercise encouraged parents to assess their math skills after months of home schooling. While the others gave themselves “eight”, the duchess rated herself “minus five”. She laughed, acknowledging that she was “right at the bottom of the classroom.”
The Duchess added: “Being able to share your own experience with others who are going through the same thing makes you feel less discouraged and makes you feel less isolated.”
The group also discussed the loneliness of parents during this unprecedented time. While parents are isolated from friends and family, Kate’s Early Years – a national survey on early childhood care and development in the UK – found that loneliness increased from 38% to 63% during the pandemic.
In an effort to address the issue, the Royal Foundation, in association with the Anna Freud National Center for Children and Families, Place2Be and Young Minds, has launched The Mentally Healthy Schools, a free website that provides reliable and practical resources for improving awareness, knowledge and confidence in promoting and supporting students’ mental health.