Saturday morning and life is much as usual in our house. But does that mean that every day is going to be like a Saturday morning? I guess those who like to spend Saturday evening in the pub or out socialising will not be getting that weekend feeling. The Pubs, clubs, restaurants and cinemas are now on shut down.
Social Distancing is very real, for everyone, not just us.
We had an early start. I am auto-immune and have recently come off immune suppressant drugs. I am considered high risk. My daughter has a condition which could potentially affect her organs, so she is high risk too. My son has asthma, which is not so severe, but he is overweight too so an added worry. We decided last weekend to self-isolate. The kids were not well anyway, and Star hadn’t been into school on Friday. At the time we didn’t really think about it being their last days for a long time.
School Leaving Sadness
This morning I read a text message from my Little Man’s school’s head teacher which was so sad. She did ask for it to be passed on to all the children and talked about how much she would miss everyone.
My older girls go to an all-through school, which means that they progress from the same primary to secondary school. The year six pupils have the option to go to a different school if they wish, but most just tend to stay on.
When Boo moved from year 6 to 7 it was just like moving up in any other year. Yes, they had an end of year party, and they met some of the other teachers and were told how things would change, i.e. they wouldn’t they be staying in the same classroom for all lessons. It meant a smooth transition and it really wasn’t a big deal.
Yesterday I was seeing all over Social Media how heartbroken the year 6’s were at leaving behind their primary school with no preparation or parties. They were leaving behind schools, teachers and friends with just a day’s notice. It was so sad.
I had to tell Boo that she would be very unlikely that she would be going on her school trip to France.
Then there were those doing their GCSE’s and A Levels. How difficult it was for them, how confused they must be at what happens next. How sad that they don’t even get their leaving proms.
School’s Out, possible until after summer….that’s a long time!
What to Do, Every Day can’t be Saturday?
These are unprecedented times. I am lucky in a way because my kids are not very social anyway. Apart from Boo, who has the most friends. They can still talk to their friends online. Boo spent most of yesterday on chat with her school friends. I bet they had lots to talk about. How long will it be before she starts missing seeing them?
My kids don’t have many out of school groups, Boo and the Little Man do one a week. They will miss those too. But they don’t really participate in sports. I’m sure sporting kids are going to find it difficult not joining in with their friends.
Everyone has their own take on what they should do while their kids are off school. But it’s going to be tough on kids and parents, no matter how social they are.
I’m not stressing too much. So far they have spent a lot of time on their screens but although I’m not going to stop them or become over strict on screen time, I do need to make sure they are going to do other stuff.
Timetables never seem to work in our house, we could work something out but it won’t be time table related.
The kids love to help out in the house so that will be something they do each day, even if it’s just the occasional job, they will all be expected to do something. I’m not going to turn them into little slaves though. They will help out each day but only as much as I think necessary, or to earn extra rewards.
They all have learning packs from school. The girls will be in contact with teachers by e-mail and will have to submit the work they do. A lot of this is going to be online, so it looks like they will be using screens even more. I am hoping to break this up with daily exercise, fresh air (Even if it’s just in the garden) and reading. We have loads of books to get through.
The Little Man has a learning pack which his Dad is picking up from the school on Monday. I don’t know yet what is in it. But being younger I am hoping it’s less screen based.
My kids are too old now for crafts, but they do love art, so maybe we can work on a nice art piece. We have lots of materials for that. The Little Man still likes a little crafting.
They all like cooking and baking, but getting supplies hasn’t been the easiest. Maybe we can start learning making new stuff from what we have in the cupboard. I do find being in the kitchen tiring though and they need supervision a lot of the time. I guess now is the time for them to learn a little more independence.
How are We getting On?
At the moment we have only two people leaving the house out of necessity. But with the increasing number of case of COVID-19 this is becoming a little more scary. My daughter has to work (NHS) but my husband is taking her to work to avoid public transport and she works in theatres so a very sterile environment. After April 15th all non emergency operations will be cancelled. However, she often works in emergency, so she should still be working for a while at least. She also works in a children’s hospital, so she won’t be dealing with the adult COVID-19 cases. Fingers crossed she will be okay, but she is able to isolate herself at home. My husband needs to be able to go out and get the things we need to survive. I’d rather rely on food deliveries, but they are non-existent for weeks and unlike some, we didn’t hoard. We have local shops which are currently open and have everything in stock, but we need to limit the times that he goes there. It will be difficult for my husband to self isolate from us all at home as he is my carer.
Health wise, we are okayish. For some reason, the colds my kids caught just before leaving school last week (a week earlier than others) seem to be taking forever to ease off. I also have a cold and I seem to have developed an upset stomach. I do have stomach problems though so I guess it’s just my body playing up as usual. I’m pretty sure we don’t have COVID-19 it would have been unlikely for us to have come into contact with anyone with the virus and non of us are really sick.
What Have I Learnt
You would think at a time of crisis people would be kinder, but they are not. I’m not a people person and I rely on the Internet for outside contact mostly. Someday’s I don’t even feel like interacting online. Some people just fill me with dismay. Friends or strangers, it doesn’t matter we can’t all have the same views. But kindness never costs anything.
Flip the coin and you get some pretty awesome people. I belong to a group on Facebook who are generally the most understanding, caring people you could ever wish to meet. We all have one thing in common, but we are all very different. We avoid certain topics (like politics and religion) because these cause friction. But whether your cat is sick or your Grandad has died, the sympathy is given in equal measures. Equally, if you get a new job or find out your pregnant you get congratulations in equal measures. I think you get the picture. These people are so diverse but they are also awesome.
People do tend to split into two groups during a crisis, and if you’ve ever watched an apocalyptic film, or zombie film or such, you’ll see that humans are far more scary than any creature, alien or even virus. This scares me immensly.
The other group come together and support each other, make up packs for those in need, sing songs on balconies to keep spirits up and just be there for each other. I am looking for these people every day. These are my people.
Coronavirus: eight ways to be kind to your neighbours – and yourself
Here’s my linky if you want to join in with your COVID-19 related posts
It is such a sad time. I feel so bad for all those kids in the last year of their schooling who are missing out on the end of year excitement.
As of this afternoon we’re staying in. My fella doesn’t have to go to work until goodness knows when so the door is staying shut.
My girls are missing their friends. My teen especially because she can’t see her girlfirend but they have been chatting online and video chatting. Hooray for the internet.
I hope you all stay well. It sounds like you are doing your best to stay safe. I am feeling run down at the moment but I know it’s just because I have been stressing so much and not sleeping properly. Now we’re all home I hope I start to relax more and feel better.
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These are definitely strange times! I was already laying low because of the war going on inside my abdomen, so my life really isn’t that different. My husband works in an essential field and is busier than normal. I hope you and the kids start feeling better.