My Life Behind Closed Doors of Covid-19!

When I found out that schools were going to be closed, I was shocked, excited, and concerned. I was shocked because I would never in a million years believed something like this would be happening to me in my lifetime. Excited because I really needed a break from work, trying to juggle the kids to get up in the morning by a certain time and Grad school. I was just exhausted and ready to finally be able to get some sleep. The main thing was feeling like I did not have to be rushed. I can finally take a breather at my own pace. Lastly, I was concerned because I did not know what to expect. Was it deadly? Should I be concerned for my kids? Where did it come from? So, much.

The first month was great. The kids were excited to be home and spend time with us as a family. We could finally do stuff together without feeling like we had to rush because of schedules. I had tons of cuddles. It was amazing! I feel like it took a lot of pressure off me trying to balance everything while going to work, school, being a mom, a fiancé, keeping up with the house, so much. It was great to finally be able to relax.

However, the down part was the kids did not see their friends or family. Schoolwork was hard to do virtually because my kids are small and have a very short attention span, sometimes the links wouldn’t work, the right equipment wasn’t available such as workbooks to practice and more. So, I do not know if they learned something online. By seeing this, I knew I was going to have to be there teacher. I do not fault the teachers because everything came unexpected plus they must worry about themselves and their safety. Everybody deserves that, even teachers. We were going through a pandemic. Plus, I was used to teaching my little ones anyway through science experiments in the summertime. But this was different. I felt like my kids started to see they were out of school and wanted a break just as much as I did. So, I was not so stern about them doing homework. I made educational days two to three times a week tops and no more than an hour of lessons. Sometimes not even 30 minutes.

By spending time with the kids, I realized it was not just me being affected. My kids were sad because they could not see their friends and in return, it made me sad because it was nothing I could do. We were not allowed to go to parks, go through sprinklers, their favorite dinosaur show got canceled, sleepovers with their cousins got canceled, our vacation, so much. They began to have trouble sleeping throughout the night, attitudes were on a 100; I felt like they were suffering and didn’t know how to express how they were feeling. Personally, by the third month, I was running out of stuff to do and that is insane because I am a creative person. It was no time for my family to prepare mentally, physically, financially, and emotionally. The kids mentally were forgotten in the pandemic. By this I mean, people expected the kids to do well because they are kids and are believed to not be able to understand. But this was definitely a lie. They knew more than we thought. They are affected more than I because their whole routine had been changed. Everything had been changed in their regular lives.

By May, I was overwhelmed. I was constantly cleaning, feeding, breaking up fights, agitated, beyond! Groceries were running out faster to being home all day. On top of that, getting higher! Gas was low but we could not go anywhere. A two-week break had turned into a virus still presently going. It was like something I saw on the movies. There was nothing I could do about this. I saw I was their teacher, their cook, their cleaner, their bather, their comfort, everything that would be considered normal but double! This was now my normalcy and theirs. It was truly bananas. I couldn’t wait for this to be over with. I loved being around my family don’t get me wrong, but it was exhausting.

The days our kids were having a bad day, we would literally just drive around so they could get fresh air. Sometimes we would go for ice cream to make everybody happy and feel normal. Movie night on Fridays begin to turn into two and three times a week. We began to hike/walk more and let the kids ride their bikes. Everything you can think of we probably did.

Now, our state has officially begun Phase 3. But what does that actually mean for us as a family? Yes, there were restrictions such as mandatory masks in public spaces. But what did it actually mean? Our lifetime at that moment was not normal. We were still living in a pandemic. I am nervous to even be around a large group of people, kids were now being affected by the virus, masks were mandatory to go to places like a restaurant, it is too much to think about and too much to jeopardize with kids. I don’t want to be a cause of a virus entering my home. At that current time, I still follow quarantine protocols in Phase 3. Of course, I was a little more lenient on certain things. But I only trusted the comfort of my own home when it came to eating out, playing outside, and more. The safest place to be was our home.

No, my article does not have every detail; it is just a broad experience of what I have been going through. I could probably write for days especially in relation to how my kids are affected. I just wanted to say to our moms, parents, families, and guardians, I know it may be stressful and people may not know what we may experience behind closed doors, but we as a community can only make this work. Follow the guidelines. Be safe. And please wear masks. Yes, places are opening but that does not mean go crazy. We are still in a pandemic. We want to decrease numbers not increase. The best tip I can say is everything may have stopped in relation to being normal but enjoy the moments you have, cherish the ones you love, enjoy life right where you are because tomorrow is not promised.