Resilience

Resilience in the time of COVID—A Parent Perspective

Just over a year ago, our family settled back into our house in Northcote after 10 years living overseas. Our work had taken us to Solomon Islands in the Pacific and Senegal on the westernmost tip of Africa. None of our children had ever been to school in Australia, so there was a fair bit of nervousness on our first day at FPS. We had no need to worry. We were warmly welcomed by everyone at FPS and soon felt part of the community here – thank you to all of you who made it so.

Our lives in faraway places have meant that our kids have been through a lot of experiences not faced by your average FPS student. In Solomon Islands, we lived through tsunamis and floods, so powerful that they literally swept people away. The kids never did a fire drill at school – but they did climb the hill behind the oval whenever the warning drum sounded for an approaching tsunami. There were days on end without power, and food shortages when the ships didn’t arrive as planned. 

In Senegal, we arrived in the middle of a three-week period when the main water pipe to the capital city had broken – a city of three million had no running water. Not long after, Senegal reported its first (and thankfully only) Ebola case. 

And then, when it was time for us to come home to Melbourne, we dragged our children 17,000 km away from their friends, with Buckley's chance of seeing most of them in person again. For a kid, that is seriously hard.

So, what have I learned from this experience? That kids are amazingly and impressively resilient! That they can thrive though a little bit of adversity, giving them a confidence and a world view that will help them to grow into thoughtful, adaptable and appreciative adults. 

When I look around us now, I know that kids are finding it tough and there are disappointments. Foundation kids aren’t able to play in the playground with others in their first exciting taste of school. Grade 6s aren’t able to have the leadership year they have been building up to all their school lives. 

But my experience tells me that, by facing a hardship like COVID whilst nurtured in a caring and supportive environment – like with have with our FPS staff, friends and families – the kids will shine. They will know that when things get tough, they can draw on others for help.  They will know that they can be creative in how they respond to challenges thrown at them from left field. They will grow up knowing that they don’t need to be defeated by anything.

Today, my kids have a weekly Zoom with their friends in Senegal and one with their classmates around the corner in Fairfield (mind you, the time zone for that one is a bit easier!) When I hear them laughing together, I know that, in their own way, they are adapting to the situation and writing their own COVID stories, filled with friendships and work arounds.  And armed with resilience and couched in love, what great stories they will be.

~ Louisa Gibbs, Parent of Henry and Jasper