silver linings COVID-19 - Boston Moms

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.

 

Rachel Wilson
Rachel is a native of the West Coast and didn't know that her straight hair could frizz until she made the move East! After earning a Master of Environmental Management from Yale, she moved to Boston for a job opportunity and, on her first Saturday night in the city, met the man who would become her husband. They married in 2012 and are learning more every day about how to be parents to daughters Annabel (2013) and Eleanor (2016). Rachel and her family recently relocated from Charlestown to the Metrowest suburbs and are enjoying their yard, but dislike shoveling snow from their driveway. Rachel currently works as an energy and environmental consultant, and wore Birkenstocks before they were trendy. Likes: her family, her in-laws, cooking ambitious meals and leaving the dishes for someone else, hiking, running, yoga, climbing mountains, reading books, farmers' markets and her CSA, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, the sound of her daughters' laughter, and coffee Dislikes: running out of milk, New England winters, diaper rash, wastefulness, cell phones at the dinner table