The Foreign Service Journal, June 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2021 61 Provide the language your children and teens need to describe their emo- tions and what’s going on. An excellent book for elementary-age children is Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child by Julia Simens (Summertime, 2011). Use your school counseling team as a resource. Communicate with the school counselor if you are encounter- ing difficulty at home. Ask if they have resources for helping to develop social- emotional intelligence and resilience. What can you reinforce at home? The International School Counselor Asso- ciation has been developing resources, so encourage your school to become a member if it has not already. Encourage your children to practice the pillars of good health — sufficient quality sleep, proper nutrition and exercise—and maintain structure in daily life. Be creative in celebrating rituals at home and recognizing milestones. These may become some of your most cher- ished memories. If the plan changes , allow your chil- dren to deviate from their intended path, if needed. It might be healthy to reas- sess the plan. Does that mean switching schools? Taking a gap year? Changing their college plans? Help them to think it through and then offer support. Help your kids to see the future and know that this period is not going to last forever. Encourage them to think and plan for future events such as travel, col- lege, and time with loved ones. Recommendations for the Department of State Some parents have also offered their suggestions for how the department can better support families during this time. Find ways to support parents. Whether employees or not, all parents are juggling a lot right now. It might be working across time zones, fulfilling professional obligations while simulta- neously needing to help (multiple) kids with online learning. Single parents, in particular, have shouldered huge responsibilities. The Department of State Standard- ized Regulations (DSSR) was written for “normal” times, not a pandemic. When possible, give the most generous possible interpretation to a regulation