DS is in 2nd grade, an extrovert, and definitely the hardest hit by the social distancing of us all.
Things are stressful in my house right now. DH is staffing one of the local COVID hospitals and is just exhausted, physically and mentally. I am trying to see my department and my patients through this and keep all safe, which is not as easy as it sounds, a balancing act no one is prepared for. The weather has been rainy and cold, so our outside time has been more limited than I had hoped.
My DS is smart. The workload is not extreme. If he would focus he could do all of the assignments in less than an hour. But he drags his feet and whines and yells and cries and gets really frustrated. He hates his Zoom meetings. He hates PE over Zoom, and won't even let me put on the music class. Even doing assignments that he normally enjoys, like writing stories, has become like pulling teeth to get him to write a full sentence.
I know he doesn't not have the executive function to sit and do a list of 15 things, but I am helping with that. The tech aspect of it can be convoluted, but I am helping with that. But pretty regularly, especially if I try to correct his work in any way, he is shouting things like "it's none of your business and you can't just go around telling people what to do!" followed by tears, running into his room, and slamming the door behind him.
I am trying very hard to be sympathetic. I know he is hurting and anxious just like DH and I. I've reached out to the teacher to explain that I know his work is sometimes shoddy and half done, but it's the best we can do. I know things are tough, but I also want him to have a bit of grit. I don't want him to think that if something is hard/boring or if he isn't feeling 100% he can just not do it. That's quite obviously not the way the world works, not by a long shot (as I sit here and contemplate doing things in my job I haven't seen in 10+ years).
Has anyone been able to help their kids deal emotionally with homeschooling, if they aren't naturally cut out for it? What strategies are you using to help with the adjustment? I am running under the assumption he won't be back in real school until the fall.