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If you're a parent feeling coronavirus anxiety, you're not alone

Suzanne Tucker said the first step to calming anxiety is to acknowledge your feelings

ST. LOUIS — In the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, most kids in the St. Louis area are out of school, which can leave parents asking, what now? If you're a parent feeling anxiety, you're not alone.

Suzanne Tucker, of Richmond Heights, is a parent educator who runs a Facebook page with more than 1 million followers. She's been busy connecting with parents online during the coronavirus pandemic.

"One parent said, ‘One piece of advice I’m not following is the screen time regulation.’ We, as parents, need to let ourselves off the hook. These are extraordinary times and do what you need to do for balance," Tucker said.

She added that it's natural for parents to feel fear, anxiety or worry during this time.

READ MORE: How to talk to your kids about the coronavirus

"I’ve been on maternity leave for a week and a half. I have a 3- and 5-year-old. There's been a ton of emotions and anxiety," said mom Jess Austermann.

"God bless whoever decided to put Frozen II on Disney+ because we're using that to our advantage," Rebekah Coste, another mom, said. "My husband and I have been feeling anxiety about all this. I own a small business and he works in a restaurant, so we are concerned about our income."

RELATED: Virus miracle? 'Frozen 2' getting early release to Disney+

"I have kids who need to eat all the time. I bought three weeks worth of groceries that is gone in about three days and you know happens when they eat, they need toilet paper. That's why there's a four square max at any given time," Felice McClendon said.

Tucker said the first step to calming anxiety is to acknowledge your feelings.

“For me, it's not about not having fear. It's about noticing it and talking about it as a family," she said.

Tucker suggested putting kids in charge of some activities at home to create more engagement.

"I would say to any parent out there faced with weeks on end with kids at home, involve them and ask them, 'What would you like to do with all these weeks we have at home?' Do your best to let go of those high expectations we all put on ourselves," she added.

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