Coming Out (of this Pandemic) with Our Hands Up!

 

I'm not sure as a parent if I am coming out of this pandemic with my hands up in praise or in surrender.  The last 15 months, 68 weeks, 474 days, 11,362 hours, 681,753 minutes,  and 40,905,234 seconds has stretched us parents to limits we didn't know could be stretched. What started out as what we thought was a week or two parenting at home and becoming cooks, teachers, playmates, and so much more was our "normal" for longer than we anticipated. We all faced many challenges during the pandemic so I am not going to dwell on being in it but blogging about coming out of it.

Parents, the last 4 months have been interesting for us. Separation anxiety, uncertainty and trying to embrace our new lives as we near the post-pandemic is a lot. 

TIPS to Support Parents:

1) Some kids are still not vaccinated; hugs are not mandatory for people we see out in public so don't get offended if we inform you that our children are still practicing social distancing;

2) Be patient with kids; Seeing tons of family and friends are overwhelming;

3) Tell parents they are doing a good job; we have beat all odds and kept them alive for 15 months! lol 

Parenting During the Pandemic

It's been awhile since I've been able to gather thoughts or even come up with a topic for a blog. A lot has been happening and I'm grateful for this time. It's been 218 days (7 months and 4 days) since we have been self sheltering/quarantining as a family. What we all thought would be a 2 week shut down changed our lives. I must say parenting during this time has been both the most rewarding and the most challenging. In fact this is the most time we have spent with our child and each other... EVER! 

The first few weeks were interesting. I believe I began to overcompensate in some areas to create some sense of normalcy. What I didn't realize is there was no way for me to create "normal" for my family. Though I tried to create a makeshift classroom what I couldn't recreate the love and bond with her teachers and classrooms. I could be the best production manager for our church services but I couldn't recreate the love and fellowship from our church family. We were literally stuck in the house trying to figure out next steps. While we saved on gas we began what I called a mild Amazon Prime love addiction. If were going to be quarantined then we were going to make the best of it. 

Here are some things I learned about parenting during the pandemic:

1) Create a New Normal but keep a Schedule:  This pandemic isn't a vacation. It's readjusting your hand and playing the cards that the dealer gave you. We wanted our daughter to know that things will still go on but in order to do that we must be on a daily schedule with school, church activities, and extracurricular activities. There's still bedtime and wake up time and a time to have fun but there must be some order.

2)Don't overcompensate for this pandemic: Truth be told my husband was right. "You don't need any more items from Amazon delivered.'