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Parenting In A Pandemic: 13 Thoughts, Three Months In

July 8, 2020

Here Are 13 Thoughts On Parenting In A Pandemic, Three Months In:

Here are 13 thoughts of parenting in a pandemic, but firstly, how are you? How are you doing, really?

And secondly, if you’d told us all on 1st January 2020 that we’d be spending much of the upcoming year on lockdown, parenting in a pandemic and homeschooling our kids, I’m not sure anyone would have believed it, would we? 

What it's been like parenting in a pandemic

UK Lockdown And School Closures

Coronavirus, lockdown and the UK school closures have been an unexpected experience that’s been very different in lots of ways and identical in lots of others for everyone, I’d imagine.

It’s a time where each day you feel all the emotions, despite being safe at home, where everything has changed yet is exactly the same, on repeat.

Even though now things now are unrecognisably different to how they were in March. And probably unrecognizable to how they were even two short weeks ago…

How It’s Been For Us: 13 Thoughts On Pandemic Parenting;

Lockdown has made us realise how lucky we are 

We know we are lucky in lots of ways, but nothing’s made us recognise how privileged we are than pandemic parenting and having access to the basic things our family has that lots of others do not.

Like having a house, with a garden, access to a park for walks and exercise, being to get hold of enough food, and jobs that we can do easily from home.

And being safe and healthy.

Pandemic parenting - access to parks and greens spaces

Children have reacted to lockdown in a lot of unexpected ways

While we didn’t over-expose our two to the news about covid, at eight and five they were aware of Coronavirus, we discussed it with them and they talked about it at school (the days of ‘wash your hands to Happy Birthday x2’ seem years away, and the post I wrote on how to talk to your kids about Coronavirus is now oddly quaint). 

As a parent you want protect your children, but it’s hard for them not to be aware of the significance of what’s going on when there are such big, OBVIOUS changes. We’re all at home! They’re not at school!

It had a noticeable impact where lots of little things became big things, with all the emotions.

parenting in a pandemic - lockdown fear for kids

And while it was a novelty to be home at first, they wouldn’t even step outside the front door for weeks because ‘that’s where the virus is.’ 

I’ve seen a lot of people say that children will only remember the good bits, but I think for a lot of children this might be optimistic and simplistic. Happy to hopefully be proven wrong, though.

Childcare, work and homeschooling is an impossible juggle

It’s practically impossible to look after children and work at the same time. You just can’t do both, well. I’ve only been able to work from home for the past eight years due to access to childcare and school.

And then, the schools closed, and we went into lockdown. 

Home school in lockdown - at the kitchen table

In what are surely familiar scenes across the world for working parents, me and Alex have tried to fit work around our attempts at kitchen table home-schooling and looking after the children. There has been a lot of Zoom-bombing.

But due to the fact I’m a freelancer, with a significantly reduced workload at the moment, who doesn’t have a 9-5-at-my-desk-job, I’ve been mainly working in the evening and weekends and whenever I can (which seems in line with lots of other women).

And I’m so lucky, and grateful, that we’ve been able to do this considering the crisis. But I’ve had to just not do a lot of stuff too. Like writing blog posts. And it’s still been a struggle, leaving no headspace for anything else other than half-watching TV with wine before not sleep brilliantly.

Hats off to all of us managing it, and more.

There have been good parts of lockdown – unexpectedly

Although the overall situation has been terrible, there have been many moments to remember.

The main one being spending so much time together at home when work and commutes and clubs and normal daily life means we usually can’t.

Alex is now always around, and therefore involved in everything he wasn’t before just due to logistics of being out of the house from 7-7.

pandemic parenting - lockdownwalks

And I do NOT miss the frantic, last-minute stresses of the school run dash every morning. Life is a lot more relaxing when you’re not shouting ‘Shoes! Teeth! Get your tie out from behind the TV!’ on repeat when you’ve just woken up…

…I just wish these didn’t all happen for the reasons they happened though.

UK lockdown has been EMOTIONAL

Usually, all the emotions, all at once, from everyone.

Mainly, me!

It’s really hard to be a patient parent when you’re overwhelmed, anxious and stressed, isn’t it? Especially when someone’s kicking off because someone looked at their ‘favourite shoulder’. But as I frequently tell my children and both their shoulders, we are all only human.

PS. How unfair it is to have PMT during a pandemic?!

And parenting in a pandemic is exhausting 

I mean, who would have thought?

Lockdown hobbies aren’t a thing when you have children

I’ve not read piles of books or become a sourdough master. I’ve not read one book. I’ve not even watched Normal People yet. I know! 

I have however made a lot of snacks. I’ve tidied up a lot and then did it all again. I’m best friends and mortal enemies with the dishwasher. We’ve had a lot of hugs. There has been a lot of crafting and printing of colouring sheets. I’ve looked at my phone a lot. Does that count? 

Parenting in a pandemic - lockdowncrafting

Don’t worry if all you did was get by, that’s more than enough.

Teachers are heroes

Anyone else’s children talk a LOT? Asking for, well…What the lockdown has really brought home is how great teachers are for coping with so many kids at once, all talking at top volume, and still teach them so many wonderful things in such a short space of time. 

Parenting in a pandemic-home schooling

In comparison, at our home-school, my pupils won’t sit down for longer than two seconds unless I’m practically sat on them. And one of them loves crafts but runs to the furthest point of the house at the slightest sign of a worksheet. 

Home-schooling is 100% not for us

With even basic year 3 maths giving me the fear, and motivation now being a challenge for all of us in this non-school environment, I’m looking forward to handing the academics back over to their actual teachers. I feel like home school has narrowed their world that school has previously opened up, where they learn so much and have access to so many brilliant things.

And on that note, how are hard are fractions? For me, not them.

However, we’ve learned while we’ve been at home

Parenting in a pandemic - lockdown art

We have, however, focused on finding out about a lot of other things, from Black Lives Matter and Windrush through to the lyrics and background of Hamilton, and how to score megastar on Just Dance.

We’ve done a lot of cooking, colouring, crafts and Cosmic Kids Yoga.

We’ve watched all the Marvel movies in order and watched MasterChef about two months late without finding out who won.

I’ve drunk a lot of wine.

And while you can’t take a GCSE in Animal Crossing, sadly, I think all of this is important stuff.

A certain amount of screen time is our friend and that’s OK

Pandemic parenting - screen time is Ok

We’ve had a lot of screen time and you know what? It’s fine. Aside from all the online school learning apps, we’ve had screen time because the children need a rest. Or I need a rest. Or for fun. And ultimately because, it’s OK. We have also done a lot of none-screen stuff to balance it out.

I don’t think now, or any other time is the time to have yourself or anyone else make you feel guilty about it.

Parents are all just doing our best…

…Trying to make it through another Groundhog Day of covid lockdown in the best way we all can.

Lockdown, homeschooling and the pandemic has all been very, very surreal

It didn’t really seem real at the time, and it seems odd looking back. We’ve missed our friends and family, not seen our newest niece and had my big birthday trip cancelled. We’ve not been able to go to help when my mum had a bad accident and then see my dad when he was seriously ill (he is, unexpectedly, getting better).

We’ve watched the national and global news unfold in horror. I’ve made a million snacks, and more. The printer is exhausted.

But we’re OK, and healthy, and who knows what’s coming next. 

You can also read my post on what it’s like having a baby in Coronavirus lockdown… And I’ve been sharing more on Instagram, so make sure you follow me there – I’m Gill_Crawshaw

1 Comments

  • Shirley

    July 9, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    An Excellent summary, you have done a lot less than lots of parents and a lot more than others so stay calm you have done what’s right for your family. It is a never before known time

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