LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is causing anxiety among everyone, including children. Karen Lawrence, the mother of Louisville native and Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence, has some tips for helping kids cope.
Karen Lawrence serves as a spokeswoman for Operation Parent, an organization that helps provide a community for parents who want to share strategies and information on parenting. In a video, that was posted in 2018, long before the pandemic began, Karen Lawrence explains that adults aren't the only ones worried about the global pandemic.
"You may be thinking to yourself, 'What does my fourth grader have to be anxious about?'" she says in the video. "Well, in our crazy world full of frightening headlines, family issues, school issues, and other constant pressures, it's now estimated that one in five children suffer from anxiety."
The video offers parents some positive ways to help kids cope, such as cutting down on sugar intake, ensuring that children are getting 10-11 hours of sleep and forbidding the use of electronics in the bedroom.
Unchecked anxiety during the early elementary school years can ultimately lead to depression, drug abuse and even suicide.
For more information about this project or Operation Parent, visit OperationParent.org or call (502) 265-9045.
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