Safer at Home Order Journal #1

Dear Kids,

You’re too young now to really remember, but we find ourselves under a unique situation. Right now you’re 5.5 and almost 3, and I’m hoping you know little more beyond the fact that something bad is going on in the world right now and it’s safer to not take you to the park or on walks.

I’ve debated whether to start this journal and post in online, but I think it’s important you know. When you’re older, you’ll probably hear about coronavirus and COVID-19. You’ll wonder how old you were during that time. Well, you’re 5.5 and almost 3. You’re stuck at home with me. Schools have now been closed for a little over a week. Dad has been working from home more often than not. Yes, we’re all going a little crazy, but I’m so proud of how well you’re managing. Best of all, you’re developing a beautiful relationship with each other. Oh, maybe now, when you’re old enough to read this, you’ll look at each other and say, “Ew!” But, I guarantee you, every night, one of you is calling the other to play. Maybe you’re just bored, or maybe you’re really becoming close siblings. Or maybe it’s just a mother’s pipedream.

The world is suffering from a pandemic. It started in late 2019 in a region in China. Your dad and I kept up with it because one of your honorary aunts lives there. We knew we were going to end up where we are back in late January, but still held out for the best.

Currently, we’re a few days into a safer at home order, and we have every intention of following it to the letter. Yes, Dad still has to go in to work once in a while. He works under that broad umbrella of healthcare, but, don’t worry, he’ll be sanitizing himself every time he gets home. We don’t want either of you to get sick, and we definitely don’t want me to get sick (thanks, little girl, for triggering my, apparently, dormant asthma).

We’re also a week a day into homeschooling, though I am grateful it’s just one of you and it’s Kindergarten. I don’t know what I would have done if one of you were taking Geometry because I nearly failed that one. But I am eternally grateful for how well the two of you have been coping. It’s been difficult having to keep you inside, but it’s really enable the relationship between you to bloom. You’re now each others’ only playmate, as scary as that may sound. There are no play dates allowed. There is no socializing allowed. Over the weekend, our mayor was dismayed by how many people crowded beaches and hiking trails without keeping 6 feet between people, so now they, and other places, are closed.

I’ll be honest with you two. I’m scared right now. The number of cases only keeps rising. You have grandparents who live in a state with an insane number of cases. People are losing their jobs. It’s impossible to know what’s going to happen next, to know when they might end, or even taper a little. Our governor estimates half of our population will get COVID-19. That’s a lot of people, kids. And that is why we are not going out. We don’t want any of us to be one of those.

Maybe you’re wondering what you’re daily lives look like right now. We’re trying to keep things as normal as possible. Though you do get to stay up a little later at night and sleep in a bit. We do school in the mornings and, yes, little boy, your teacher is doing virtual classes for you twice a week. I can’t tell if you enjoy seeing your classmates or not, but at least everyone seems to be happy and healthy. Little girl, it’s not easy for you to lose my attention, but you’re doing an amazing job of learning to entertain yourself, and get into mischief. But you’re incredible, and I promise I am spending as much time as possible with you. Our afternoons are more relaxed. We have some activities we do, but, mostly, you two prefer to either run around or be by yourselves. The evenings are when Dad emerges from his work and you get to spend time with him. And then it’s bedtime and, finally, Mom and Dad get some peace. Though we are glad you’re home. Because, as your honorary aunt who has already lived through the worst of this, has said, we are safer at home. And, hey, if Rapunzel could live in isolation for her entire life, we can certainly do a much shorter amount of time than that. This, of course, assuming I’ve read that fairy tale to you. If not, you know how to search online by now.

Love,

Mom