At the beginning of this pandemic I didn’t mind the social distancing and the slowing down of regular life. It was fun coming up with new recipes and being creative at meal times with whatever I had in the pantry and spending more quality time with my children. There was no running around town in a rush to this activity or that one. The routine was thrown out the window and for a while, it was fun. The sun was shining, it felt like spring and we were enjoying playing outside and staying in our pjs.
Then it started to get colder and news that this pandemic might last until summer came down. It hit me. Trying to entertain the children is getting harder and we are all getting cabin fever. I was optimistic at the start of this all and now I’m drained. My four-year-old is crying to go to preschool and see her friends and she is missing swimming lessons and frankly, regular life. I’m struggling to keep life as happy as possible and normal for my children. But I think they are sensing my tiredness. Working from home with both little ones running around isn’t easy. I miss going to the grocery store to get fresh things every other day.
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I’m trying to remind myself to be grateful that we are safe and healthy. We are lucky to have a backyard to play in. I feel for those who are stuck in an apartment and can’t let their little ones out, even if it is cold. I’m also thankful that I can still work.
I’m excited for getting back to our old routine. Children thrive off routine. A normal routine brings consistency and comfort. Routines also help everyone sleep better and can help with anxiety. Routines also foster good habits. Structure is so important for young children and I’m struggling to find some right now for mine.
Gwyenth Paltow recently wrote on one of her social media pages some advice for people in quarantine and suggested everyone transform isolation into an opportunity to “write a book, learn an instrument or a language or learn to code online, draw or paint.”
I feel like I have less time for myself with two little ones running around, not more.
I also thought I’d get a lot of spring cleaning done while stuck at home but it turns out that I’m having a hard time just keeping up with the regular housekeeping.
I’ve written before about how it is OK to not be OK sometimes. I think a pandemic is a perfectly good time to not feel OK. I spent my birthday last week while social distancing. There was no party, no dinner out, no trip to the spa for me. However, I turned another year older, spent the day reflecting on my health and was thankful I live in a safe place. Plus my friends and family still found unique ways to make me feel special.
I think it is OK to be sad about some trivial things. You can mourn the party you didn’t get, the baby shower that wasn’t thrown for you, the trip you had to cancel and the visitors you won’t see. There are much bigger things going on in the world but that doesn’t mean you can’t be sad about what is going on in your own little world. And I hope when this is all over we can throw one big party and celebrate.
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