Here is where we are now. Life in the trenches, so to speak… (well, not really, but I figure my future self might appreciate reading about the daily boring grind stuff…)
Three kids, ages 12, 10 and 6 (almost 7). All in virtual school (6th, 5th, and 1st grade).
Husband, working full-time from home.
Self, working full-time from home.
My parents live nearby, we see them often (outside only).
Husband’s parents live about 2-hour drive away. We see them periodically (outside only).
Balancing what’s safe vs what’s necessary, vs what’s fun has been very, very hard. I mean, this virus is very contagious, but it’s not the plague… There are some things (I am thinking health-wise) that are more deadly and more dangerous than the current COVID-19.
Hence, I feel it’s important to keep up with necessary medical visits & procedures and most dental visits. Yes, my dad will go get that biopsy done, even though he doesn’t want to. Yes, we will all get our teeth cleaned (unless there is a bad COVID spike in our area, then we will postpone…) and get our cavities fixed and whatever else is absolutely necessary. Yes, I will do all those mammogram and follow-up visits.
Some human interaction is necessary for everyone’s mental health. Outdoor time with grandparents has been great. Kids wear masks if they are in proximity to the grandparents (masks can come off if kids are running around and playing in the yard and far away from the grandparents). I love discussing books with my mom (over the phone or on their back porch). Husband spends hours catching up with his parents and siblings over the phone. I try to stay in touch with my best friend and talk to her every couple of months. Husband tries to stay in touch with friends from grad school. We don’t do social media, so it’s all about phone calls.
Kids haven’t had any formal playdates in a long time. My son’s best friend sometimes comes to our yard with his siblings and their giant dog and kids chat for a while (everyone masked…. Except the dog, obviously). My son has gone dog-walking with that friend (again, masked) a few times. We’ve gone on (infrequent) forest hikes with another family. We’ve done 1 bike ride with another family. It was fun and we should do it again (both of those families are super cautious and their kids are very good about keeping their masks on).
I was telling my husband the other day that it really helps to have 3 kids that are somewhat close in age and whose interests somewhat overlap. They fight a lot, but they hang out together a lot, too. Usually not all 3 at once. Two will do stuff together while 3rd kid does stuff on his/her own. Interestingly, it is usually the youngest and her older sister, or the youngest and her older brother that are doing stuff together. The two older ones don’t seem to hang out as much these days. In any case, all 3 kids have had a lot of time with minimal parental supervision and each other for company. They discuss important stuff with each other and commiserate on the number of chores their parents make them do. They gossip about teachers, warn each other about bullies, and sometimes even help each other with school work or music practice.
On the flip side, fighting among kids has become a problem… Not surprising, because they’ve been together all the time for months. They now all have their own rooms – but that hasn’t been as amazing as I expected (because they unceremoniously barge into each other’s rooms and then I hear “GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!! MOM!!!! TELL HIM/HER!!!!”)
Dear readers, please drop a note about your life and what keeps you going…
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