When I think about our new normal and compare it with the old one, I can’t help but laugh. I used to feel so busy. I barely had time to put in the laundry on Fridays before getting out and about, but for the life of me I can’t remember what I was so busy doing. I guess it turns out I didn’t need all that stuff from Target’s dollar section.
In our household, normal used to mean getting the boys ready for school in the morning and heading to work, coming home and making dinner, reading stories and singing lullabies. After bedtime, I’d hit the books for a bit, working on getting my Master’s degree. Fridays were for me and the boys and weekends we’d spend with family and friends or playing at a park.
While we still read stories and sing lullabies, normal looks different now. Instead of heading to work, I get Big Bro set up on my laptop for his Google Classroom assignments. Drew and I sit in front of our work computers and video conference with coworkers. On the days where we still have our part-time nanny, she takes the boys on scavenger hunts around the neighborhood. On the days we don’t, Drew and I take turns breaking up arguments or setting up activities so they can be occupied while we work. Conference calls get interrupted by questions, complaints, or tantrums. Work gets done in spurts between helping Big Bro with math or taking Baby Bro to the potty, or making and serving yet another snack. After bedtime, I turn in all of Big Bro’s assignments virtually, and then start my own. On weekends, we go on bike rides and have movie nights.
Sometimes I think we’re settling in, and that we’re adjusting to our new circumstances and our new life. But when someone checks in and asks how I’m doing, or worse- if I’m ok- there’s this long pause.
I think about answering the question honestly, and then I realize I don’t actually know the honest answer. It’s a lot to get used to in a very short amount of time. It’s a lot of change. It’s a lot of uncertainty. And it’s hard to explain to a six-year-old and a three-year-old.
The bright side is, we’re all in it together. Our household, our neighborhood, our country and the world. Every single parent out there is doing the best they can trying to do it all, and giving each other the grace that comes with it. We’re spending all day under one roof as a family unit, learning to live, work and play in the same space at the same time. The chaos of COVID-19 continues around us, but in it we can find our piece of normalcy, our new routine.
Our calendar is empty, but our hearts are still full. We’re finding ways to connect and stay busy without playdates or trips to Target. It’s strange and it’s slow and it’s different, but it’s not all bad.
Still, when the old normal returns, I’ll be the first one sipping a latte and browsing that dollar section.
Our Life in A-Z 