This is a crazy time to be alive, let alone being a parent and dealing with this pandemic. One of the things that comes with being a parent is worrying about your child’s well-being, and when the world has been overtaken with a pandemic, you worry even more.
But I’m not turning this into yet another post about pandemic pandemonium.
Our kids are home from school. For the unforeseen future. But hey! Some of us are quite panicked about that, because most of us still have to work. And for those of us who don’t have to worry about work for the time being, we’re worrying about what to do with our kids. “Moooooooom! I’m booooooored!” …. Or maybe not!
We had our children because we wanted them. We love them like no one else. And so, why not embrace this extra time that we have with them? Because, we will never get this time back! They’ll be grown and gone in a split second. So why not turn this pandemic on its head and find the good that comes out of it? All this extra time with our kids!
I’m sure most of you have seen the online “kids are home from school” memes – the good and the bad. Sure some are really funny, like the one that went something like “homeschooling was going great … until both students were sent to detention and the teacher was fired for drinking on the job.” That was a good one. But I loved all of the memes that went something like, “Use this opportunity to go for a hike, to teach your kids how to cook and do laundry…” Because those things are so true. Why not take the time to do the things we don’t normally have time for, or don’t always get the time to make time for?
Just a thought.
Aside from the obvious health concerns, one of the main things that I think is important for our kids at this time is to try and keep life as normal as possible. They don’t have to worry about the state of the world – they’re just kids after all. Let them worry about kid stuff. Sure, the older kids are aware to some extent about what is going on, but let’s let them be kids. We, as their parents, take on the burdens of the world for them. That’s part of our job description. So although we adults are very nervous, anxious, and scared, let’s try to not show our kids that. But instead, let’s try to use the time to do all of the fun things that we can. So while being cautious and protecting our family, let’s have some fun!
Stay safe. Stay healthy. And stay home!