It's a Weird World

It's a weird world right now.  My toddler told me that she thinks she's scared of Coronavirus.  It was an innocent confession, fraught with concern, made during the second time my husband and I had discussed the topic several weeks ago before much of the pandemonium began.  Much to my heart's dismay.  It was the first big news coverage of the virus in the US.  Being a sensitive family in this time is not easy, but there is a silver lining in this articulation of fear.  The silver lining, I believe, is in voicing our thoughts, our ideas for living in this weird period of self-isolation.

I've read so many accounts from parents who are trying to make things work, to continue on with life now like it was pre-Covid-19.  It cannot be done.  In truth, we have come to another historical era deeply steeped in reality.  With this pandemic, I believe we are unlearning our unproductive ways of thinking that revolved heavily on self-promotion and superficial social interaction and networking.  The magic now lies in more introverted, sensitive ways of doing, of being.  We are now teaching our children via how we manage daily life while physically sequestered away from others; learning is now hands-on and more spontaneous.  In theory, at least.  I like to think that in our boredom we find new ways of seeing.  More empathy and compassion in that we are staying in to protect the most vulnerable in our population.  And honestly, I'm loving it. 

My husband sent me an article from The New York Times about how children don't need traditional academic instruction during this time, but rather, engaged and loving parents:

For those who are lucky enough to have a stable home life, this period won’t be easy — on them or on their children. Children who are prone to anxiety may find this period especially challenging. But all the experts I spoke to emphasized that routine and simple affection are important.

I want to add that parenting means different things to different people.  We are just trying to survive and we will.  We will and are trying our best in the eyes of fear.  It terrifies me that the only tangible reference point we have to compare this worldwide upheaval to is: WWII.  We need to remember that with this virus, we are at war with a virus - not with people.  That, I think, is vital to our mindset as parents and as a collective society when it comes to raising our children during Covid-19 and beyond.  

Awareness is our lifeline.  Hate has no place here. 

Our First Family Trip

A few weeks ago, we went on our first mini family vacation.  We drove up to the mountains.  The drive was fine until the windy ascent into the mountains, but baby A. was a trooper who only got carsick once.  Still, as a first-time mother, I was nervous and kept the throw-up baggie in hand.  The entire trip!

We took baby on a leisurely paved walk to a waterfall in the area.  She slept in her carrier for most of the hike, but awoke toward the end of it to vibrant green trees and cloudless blue skies.  (One of her favorite pastimes is to watch leaves on trees blow in the wind.)  She loved it.  Above is a photo of the creek that leads to the waterfall, which was abundantly filled with snowmelt.  I'm glad that the years-long drought we've been experiencing was broken this year.  It made for beautiful hiking scenery and a healthy forest.

Overnight trips with a baby, even a short one like ours, are stressful.  Is she cold?  Hot?  Hungry?  Going to sleep through the night, or wake the neighbors?  And in my case: Is she going to throw up, and when?  But new situations force you to reexamine what you can handle and more importantly, what your baby can.  (And yes, she handled things much better than I thought she would.)  We slept little, ate when we could, stressed continuously, and got out into nature for a bit.  Our reward was baby A.'s awe-filled laughter and smiles.  It's the little joys that matter, always the little joys.  Parenthood is quite a trip.

Mama Life

Are you following me on Instagram and/or Twitter?  I tend to post more on those social media outlets, especially now that I'm a mama of a little one.  Mama life is intense: life is quicker but the days are infinitely longer.  Sometimes the days are painstakingly long.  I'll often dream of a big mug of caffeinated coffee (as opposed to decaf), would love to switch from herbal to green and black teas.  I now see why mama-saying shirts are popular.  That being said, baby A. is an amazing little one - a breath of fresh, unpredictable life in this control-freak mama's heart.  Patience, patience, patience.  I'm learning each day how to be patient and go with the flow, sometimes the hard way, but I'm learning.

To my night owl baby, I love you.  Thanks for being patient with me.