In the midst of a stress-filled time, I notice that the relationship between my children and me is much stronger than before. I never knew I could grow this close to my kids.
Before COVID-19, I thought I had a good relationship with them.
I realize now that I was missing a lot of time with them throughout the day. In this season, I am feeling grateful for the opportunity to get to know my kids better. This pandemic has had so many negative effects that it feels awkward to say I am appreciative of this time in some respects. I’ve been incredibly fortunate because my immediate family is healthy and safe. While I know so many people are suffering right now, I am forced to try and find the positive effects of this pandemic in order to keep my kids (and myself) in a healthy and happy state of mind. I’m grateful I can focus on being closer to my kids.
During the past couple of months in quarantine, it has been a real challenge to come up with activities for my kids to do.
We are trying to not just watch TV all day but instead are trying to find activities that will enrich my kids’ minds and hearts. For example, I have experienced so much joy in doing homeschooling workbooks with my daughter. Watching her learn things for the first time is so rewarding as a parent. Our time doing school work is one of my favorite parts of the day. I would have never experienced this if it weren’t for the pandemic. Being able to focus solely on my kids and their well-being is a privilege and I am so grateful that I am able to do that.
I have also been able to focus my attention on my son’s speech development. He is one month away from turning 2, and my goal has been to help him to talk more. With all this extra time spent together I have seen his speech take off and grow so quickly. He is even starting to say letter sounds when shown a letter! I don’t think I would have had the time to purposefully work with him without COVID-19.
The opportunity to see other people is gone, and that aspect feels terrible.
This is another reason I’m grateful to be closer to my kids. Despite the grief I feel about losing our past life, I know that we gained something along with our loss. We gained the chance to really invest time in our kids and focus on their individual needs. I know the realities of what’s going on in the world right now, and sometimes it feeds into my anxiety. Thankfully, the fears don’t dominate my entire day. I am committed to making sure my kids (and myself) are healthy, happy, and safe.
I can’t control what is going on in the world, but I have the power to let joy and hope rule the day instead.
To all my fellow moms in the trenches right now, I see you, and I pray you will be filled with hope and joy.
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