The kids and I are coming to the end of our third week of home isolation, while the country of New Zealand reaches the two-week mark. It's an interesting time in so many ways, but I'm especially struck by the fact that all of us, all over the world, are sharing in this experience of being stuck at home, together.
We all know what we're all going through. It's a level of empathy that can only come from living the same life experience -- and in this weird period of history, we're all going through it at the same time. We know how tough the days can get. We know how crazy the kids can drive us. We know how tired we are of eating leftovers. We know how scared we are by the uncertainty we face.
For being separated, intentionally, by at least 6 feet in all directions, we're more connected than ever before by our shared understanding of what it means to be living through the Covid-19 pandemic. (And we all deserve one of those "I Survived" t-shirts at the end of it!!)
With that in mind, I thought I would share some of the things we as a family have learned from our three weeks in isolation (15 days to go in NZ, but who's counting?) I am sure you can relate. And if you care to share your own experiences of being stuck at home in the comments, feel free!
1 We love technology
We are, as parents, fairly normal, I'd say, when it comes to the amount of screen-time we allow the kids to have and the types of things we let them do with technology. But any rules we once had have been put on hiatus. Want to watch a YouTuber play Minecraft for 3 hours straight? Eh, go for it! Want to chat with your friends over Google Hangouts all afternoon? Yup, great idea! All I really want to do is lay on the couch watching WWII documentaries, so anything the kids can find to entertain themselves for a few hours works for me.
2 We love our teachers
While technology is great and a great learning tool, my kids miss their teachers and the routine of going to school. I have been doing lessons at home since we first started our lockdown, and we've kept that up even though our schools are technically on "autumn break" right now. I actually really like teaching them at home; we make it fun and creative and they are learning a lot. But Mom is not nearly as exciting to be around as Miss M. And I get that :)
3 We really want a pizza
And Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls, and those little white powdered doughnuts that come in the papery bag, and Chewy Chips-Ahoy cookies and white cheddar popcorn, ooh and those Cosmic Brownies with the crunchy chocolate bits on top! When you're stuck at home and stressed about the impending end of the world, what you really want to eat is junk food. Lots of it. And what we really want is American junk food. And pizza. Oh how I want a pizza!
4 We're done with crafts
This house has a lot of creativity flowing through it. The Adorable Girl is a bonafide artist and baker. And the Boy is what I'd describe as a "maker" or "creator," always coming up with new ideas of things to create. Creativity is a good thing, one of our family values I'd go so far to say. But I've reached my limit on the craft front. A stupid 3-D cat pop-up card did me in yesterday. The Boy saw the idea on YouTube (of course) and wanted to give it a try. Being the excellent, nurturing mother I am I said "Of course, dear son." An hour later, as the cat's paws popped off before the glue dried and the whole thing collapsed spectacularly, I let the whole neighborhood know just what I thought about YouTube craft tutorials, language not recommended for kids. :)
5 Life is terrifying and boring and wonderful, too
This description is probably always true, but boy does a lockdown drive it home. Days go by, one after the other, with little to distinguish them except the X on the calendar. But one glance at the news, and we're reminded how lucky we are to be safe at home, bored but healthy. Life is terrifying -- and it's been that way since humans became humans. We -- the human "We" -- will survive Covid-19 just as we survived the plague and smallpox, the Spanish Flu and polio, natural disasters and man-made ones and so many terrible things throughout our history. And what keeps us going -- through the scary and the boring days -- are those wonderful moments of connection we find at home and across the globe.
We as a family are holding those moments just a little closer these days, valuing our time together even when it drive us up the wall. And we as a human family -- separated by and connected through this pandemic -- should remember to do the same. :)
