It’s been a year.
I have a new baby. He is 8 months old. And yet he has never been in a restaurant, store, playground, daycare, or anywhere else that wasn’t our home or the home of our beloved Great Grandpa. He has never seen another baby besides his own reflection in the mirror. He is so young yet I still wonder how these 8 months will have impacted his life far beyond what it is now.
My three year old has forgotten what it is like to play with someone who is not his sibling. He is timid yet a bully. He is a hesitant bull in a china shop…the worst kind if you ask me. He hasn’t stepped foot in a daycare center in nearly a year. His life revolves around what to watch on TV and his daily pajama refresh. I am certain this will have a lasting impact on him in a way that he probably won’t actually remember except in fragmented flashes. His future therapist will have a lot to work through.
And then there is my 5 year old who attempted to run away last year about a month into the stay at home orders leaving me a puddle of defeated tears. Her first experience with actual school has been fractured at best. She started out computer school excited and eager to learn. She had her very own computer and wasn’t that just the coolest? She now asks the dreaded question each day how many meetings do I have today? She is in kindergarten. She talks of meetings the way an executive does…scheduling out her day with a calendar and timers. And yet somehow she is thriving. She is learning to read and write. Her teacher is a true angelic miracle worker and I try to never pass up the opportunity to tell her so. I know this is not the typical experience for your remote learning kindergartener. But somehow she learning and I am grateful for that. She is currently going to school twice a week with the hope she will work up to five days a week in April. I am terrified and relieved simultaneously. We have learned not to tell her of school district plans because they are known to change at a moment’s notice. Literally. Sometimes just 24 hours after they have been announced.
My husband and I work from home mostly only going into the office when necessary or when we need to be able to work in quiet. We carved out a shared workspace away from the giggles and growls of three kids living an unnatural childhood cooped up within the four walls of our home. We have a trusted sitter who comes to watch the boys and facilitate remote learning with the big one. How she does it? Don’t know. It is wizardry and I will not be asking about it for fear I will then have to take over.
*shudder*
So there it is. The rundown reintro post. I was on the fence if I was going to participate in this year’s SOL. Last year I know I had copped out. It ended up being a daily list of the absolute most boring ordinary. I don’t want this year to be like that. So if I have nothing to say, I won’t be writing. My goal is 3x a week. I am putting that here for all to read so that I can be held to it. But I won’t be writing what essentially boils down to checked off to do list. So if that is all I have to say, I will be skipping that day hoping for some inspiration the next. I am a little excited to get creative again after so long drudging along with the complete mundane. I am excited to read some of my favorite writers again and see what everyone else has been up to over the last year. Are we all caught up in the same time warp or have others somehow broken free?
I aam writing for the 2021 Slice of Life Challenge.
Karyn In The Kitchen 
“Are we all caught up in the same time warp or have others somehow broken free?”
This. Right here. I feel this so much. As I was reading, I can picture how our littles will have to describe 2020 to their own children. I am so happy that you are writing again this year. This is truly something to look forward to each day:)
BTW- how cute are all your babies?! We miss your (in person) faces so much! I dream of (outdoor) sushi catch up dates and playdates!!!
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Oh man. Some day. I miss it all just so much.
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Great slice. I identify with so much of it. Your experience with your kindergartener is so much like my first grader. Your quote, “Her first experience with actual school has been fractured at best” is so much how I feel. It continues to make me sad that the beginning of her school career has been so strange and wrong. But like your daughter, mine is also learning and growing. Both her and my 5th grade son (who has adhd) are mostly thriving under the circumstances when so many are struggling so much. So I am thankful for that.
I also was really taken with this, “Are we all caught up in the same time warp or have others somehow broken free?” I feel like that is exactly what is happening as March is rolling around.
Good luck with your 3x a week goal. I look forward to reading more.
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I have no idea how these kids are not just surviving but thriving. I remind myself everyday that she doesn’t know any differently at least. It have been a blessing in that way. We are very fortunate that she is doing so well. I give her teachers SO MUCH CREDIT. They are truly amazing.
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Yes, their teachers are amazing.
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I also wrote about the “one year” idea so I was drawn to your post. I loved reading your perspectives. I do not have children, but the idea of them growing up in a pandemic world, leaves my thoughts going all over.
I also like your idea of the goal of 3x a week. It seems like you found a good fit to keep you drawn into the writing. 🙂
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I know I would be so disappointed if I set a higher goal and just couldn’t achieve it. So this is what I’ve got. Rereading my opening posts from each yea, it is apparently ALWAYS my goal! So at least I am consistent. Thank you for reading.
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You. Are. Freaking. Amazing. And Awesome.
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Thanks so much, Gail. I hope you are enjoying your new home. I heard you had left (were leaving?) us.
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My children are practically grown up. How I wish I had the SOL when they were young. I think I would have used the challenge as an opportunity to create a collection that they would some day read and enjoy. Happy Slicing!
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Yay! My Slicer Friend! I am so excited to be participating in the Slice this year so that I can read your Slices! Congratulations on your neweset addition- Theodore is precious. And your other two are getting so big!!
By the way, I believe I got this tip from you from one of your Slices- we have our two-year-old sleeping on a queen mattress on the floor. I mean why get rid of a queen matress? lol I know I didnt Slice last year so that means it’s something you might have mentioned two years ago lol Did I get this tip from you or did I dream it?
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Yay you’re back!
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Look at them little baby boss faces! Just want to smush little Theo’s cheeks already! And Jesus. George looks so big and Mc’s going on 30?! Love the quick catch-up slice and the real-life goals upfront. Somehow this at-home life is as busy as it is boring. Talk later 😉
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