Ages + Stages, Pre-teens, Teens
Quarantine Life at Home with Kids Let Me Look at My Kids Again
Who would have ever predicted that we would be cooped up in our homes for as long as we have been? This Coronavirus has really thrown so many lives against the wall, financially and emotionally. Some have even lost loved ones. It will be something that we will never forget and in some ways, I don’t want to. This is how quarantine life at home with kids has panned out for us.
Let’s Clean Everything
Initially, I (like so many) had great plans for our quarantined life together. I had a To-Do list prepped and my husband was all in. We were going to start buzzing around the entire house, cleaning, organizing a maximizing our space! Yes, this was going to be great. We definitely did clean a whole bunch of stuff, including the outdoor spaces and furniture…in the first week. Strangely, our kids didn’t want anything to do with all of our industriousness. They certainly became hard to find within the confines of our home. So it began, the cat and mouse of quarantined life.
What Are Your Responsibilities
Things started to become a mess, and I was not thrilled anymore. I knew we needed some sort of routine and accountability for our own messes and responsibilities. Then family dinners began. It is regrettable to say that we never really did family dinners anymore. My kids are 22, 19, and 11. Everyone is on their own schedule, and no one is ever home at the same time. At least that’s the way it used to be. These are the best parts of my day. I think everyone agrees, even if they don’t admit it. We eat together, talk, and laugh together. It’s so refreshing and makes me feel a little regret that we couldn’t make it work prior to quarantine times.
It’s Rough
As it stands right now Dad and the oldest are working full time at home. My daughter is not working now due to the virus because she works in a daycare. I am trying to keep a small business alive while distance learning is painstakingly happening! My oldest son is pretty well suited for this life (as am I). He really has no qualms about staying home and enjoying the comforts we have been blessed with. My daughter is losing it. She is not able to work, see her friends, or her boyfriend. It’s rough. She’s very social and this is difficult for her. Our youngest is the same way, she misses her sleepovers, her friends from school and hanging out with them. Luckily she has FaceTime, so at least there’s that.
Quarantine life at home with kids – really look at them
I have been able to talk more, with these humans that I brought into this world. I’m seeing them as more a part of me during these days, now that we are forced to be together. Maybe it’s easy to lose sight of this, as they grow up and older. They’re obviously their own individual people. But the hustle and bustle of life doesn’t usually give me the opportunity to really look at them. Like- LOOK at them.
More Time To Connect
I see the gentle and caring nature of my son who is now a man. He is a person whom I admire and am constantly curious about. He is a private person, and opportunities like this quarantine, have given me more windows of time with him. Which to me, are priceless.
My middle daughter and I have reached a maturity level (for the most part) in our relationship. Seriously I believe it happened over this time of quarantine. She and I can finally talk about adult topics and we can laugh at the same things as adults now. It is so fun!
My youngest is going through those middle school years. Have you seen the comedian Trey Kennedy? Yeah, we are one of his skits. But she also has a sweet spot for us (I hope it doesn’t disappear). She’s my baby, my 11-year-old baby…but still. She is the funniest sweet girl. I have been able to have all to myself lately and I love it.
Secretly, I don’t want this slow, easy, closeness of our little family to unravel back into the frantic flow of our previous lives. I know that sounds insane and maybe it is. But as an older mom of kids that are slipping into their own independent paths, I savor these quarantine moments. I wonder what they will remember from all of this?