Hey there.
Things are feeling very upside down, or maybe completely out of control, or maybe mostly normal, except there is no normal now. If you're self-isolating without children, things look quite different from those of us isolating with children, and in both groups, expectations and experiences are wildly different.
For those of us distance schooling, it gets even more varied: all day in front of the camera, check in for direct lessons only, check in once a day for attendance. Some schools seemingly think kids will pivot on the Covid dime, and seamlessly pick up as if school at home is normal. Some schools acknowledge it's not like that at all.
Grief, or sadness when we loose something, anything, is common now. Most of us parents are grieving. We've lost our independence, our separated work/life selves, our sense of boundaries. Most of our children are grieving. They have lost their friends, teachers, routines, environments. Most of us haven't got a clue how to handle our grief in close quarters, let alone handle our children's grief. Most of our children express and experience grief differently.
If you can, make time for those feelings. If you can, talk about what you're missing. If you can, invite your children's concerns. Ask open-ended questions: what's it like for you to miss your friends?, and don't judge. Everyone responds to loss in their own time, and in their own way.
If you're now homeschooling, please know it's not easy, even for those of us who've been at it for a while. Please also know that nearly everyone is in the same boat; all our children are having an uneven experience with schooling right now. I homeschool both my children, now eight and 12. We have wonderful weeks, and disastrous days. Sometimes those days stretch into a week, and we take a break. If are now schooling at home, build those breaks in daily! As many as you need, or want.
Also? Be kind to yourself. Wash your hands. Don't touch your face.
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