We're a few weeks into social distancing. There are so many challenges to living in this world right now plus being a parent and a worker. But before I go into that I should say that we are one of the fortunate families in this world. Derek is working and I'm able to work part-time so we have income coming in. We have food in our fridge, freezer, pantry, and basement. My family is generally healthy so our risk is low. We have awesome neighbors who are looking out for us. We have iPads and computers and internet that allow us to connect in the limited ways that we can these days. We aren't concerned about losing our homes or running out of medicine. I recognize the stresses that we have are much lower than a lot of the stress levels that many people have these day.
Aaron and Jeff had their 8th birthday while we were isolated from the world. Once again we were very fortunate. We had gifts from the grandparents, aunt, and uncles arrive on time for the birthday so we had presents to open and keep us busy. Three of our neighbors also dropped off gifts to add to our celebration. We had pizza and cake and best of all we got a Zoom call with about a dozen friends to sing "Happy Birthday" to the kids. Some people left after the singing. Aaron and Jeff stayed on with maybe six or seven second graders and talked for another half hour. That was the first time I cried. I could just see how excited they were to connect with their friends and realized how much they are craving that interaction.
This week the kids had "Zoom school". This was the second time I cried. You can see how much the teachers miss being with their kids. You can see how excited the kids are to see each other. You can see how much everyone wants to connect with someone outside of their four walls.
I wonder how this experience will impact this generation. Throughout history there have been momentous events that shape a generation: The Vietnam War, 9/11, The Depression, school shootings, etc. Although this is (hopefully) temporary and will only last a couple months, I wonder what this experience is doing to developing brains. When this is done I wonder if people will cling to each other more, have more fear, or just hoard toilet paper and Clorox wipes for the rest of their lives.
It will be interesting to see what kids remember from the experience. Years from now, when my kids are grown, I hope that their memories of this time are more positive than negative, more happy than stressful, more cheerful than sorrowful.
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