It’s an understatement to say that these are trying times for parents. Our kids are out of school. Suddenly we’re parents, teachers, cooks, cleaners, playmates, referees, disciplinarians, you name it! Every. Single. Day. Our kids are missing their routines and their friends, for sure.
But our kids might remember this as one of the best times in their lives, as they get their parents at home all day long.
That’s their silver lining. And that got me thinking about my silver linings during this period. Here’s one for each of my three kids:
Sharing her daily routines
Whenever I used to ask my first-grader what she did at school that day, the response I got was always “nothing.” I’m sure many of you have gotten similar responses from your kids! I know she wasn’t doing nothing. But I don’t know exactly what she WAS doing. But now, with COVID-19, I get to see exactly what my daughter is working on at school. With guidance from her teacher, we do reading, math, and writing almost every day. I feel in touch with her education in a way that I didn’t before.
Mastering a new skill
This was actually a tough one. I feel like preschoolers are the most challenging to have at home as they need increased attention from parents. And my 3-year-old doesn’t understand why she doesn’t get the iPad like her older sister! But we’ve been going outside every day, and she’s spent a lot of time practicing on her bike (with training wheels). I’ve been able to see her confidence increase as she begins to master this new skill. Maybe by the time quarantine is over, she’ll be riding without the training wheels!
Hitting those milestones
I’d recently been feeling guilty for not spending enough time with my baby. After the first, each subsequent baby just gets less attention. And she typically goes to daycare every day. I’d been feeling like I only saw my youngest to wake her up and put her to bed. But now I get her every day, all day! (Be careful what you wish for, amiright?) She celebrated her first birthday, grew two more teeth, and learned to walk during this time in quarantine. And I was there for all of it.
Yes, living through a pandemic can be scary and leave us feeling overwhelmed with our “new normal.” But the silver linings are there, for us and for our kids — just look for them.