Kicking it Home School
Image by source unknown (pinterest)
Home-schooling isn’t unusual in the age of iso.
But considering I’ve been the parent trying to navigate two toddlers through lockdown, I never considered that I’d be the one being schooled.
With my parental armoury suddenly devoid of play centre visits, playgrounds and animal farms, our daily curriculum during COVID-19 has consisted of a simple formula: eat, sleep, bike ride, repeat.
I don’t mean to sound blasé about the global pandemic. I know many are grappling with the trauma of health or job loss. And if you’re still home-schooling your little humans, in my eyes you’re the real MVP.
In hindsight, lockdown was a bit of a blur. With no need to buckle my kids in their car seats and no aspect of our usual routine fighting for our time or attention, the mundane moments of motherhood no longer existed between commitments – it became the very essence of every 24-hour whirlwind.
Up until now, the boring operations of what makes our days tick had never struck me as something to celebrate. Chances are you’ve probably never seen the reality of having a young family showcased on my Instagram stories. The truth is it’s beautiful, but it’s not always pretty.
Maybe I’ve been in lockdown too long – but suddenly I found these everyday moments morphing into my highlights.
Nappy changes, bath time, bedtime routines and outfit changes. Tasks that once felt like chores to me have become moments of opportunity.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the mum most likely to grit her teeth and offer up an acknowledging nod when a veteran mum tells me to soak up the all moments because they go so fast.
Before the pandemic, I was plagued with the guilt of wondering whether I was doing enough to be in the present before it passes me by.
It was like an appointment I needed to schedule, but just couldn’t seem to fit it in.
Half the time I’d be agonising over my child’s future; the other half I was reminiscing over their baby photos.
I’d give them a hug—noting each time how their body was changing, growing—and struggle to recall the inevitable points of transition that had led us to that moment.
I can’t put my finger on the day when their newborn nappies were suddenly too snug. I can’t tell you the date of our final night feed where I binged Everybody Loves Raymond to stay awake at 2am. And which day did I decide that onesies were no longer daywear and only acceptable as pyjamas?
Then suddenly, COVID-19 happened and it was like someone hit the pause button.
The world stopped spinning and I was forced to slow down and take it day-by-day.
In some ways, the pandemic has prompted me to focus on the here and now; the new in-between existence of what was and what is to come.
These days I’ve been forced to dabble in arts and craft (definitely not my usual go-to). I’ve watched my child exchange handwritten letters with the kid next door and this week it looks likely that we’ll consume our fifth loaf of imperfect banana bread.
As a bit of a control freak, I’m becoming increasingly aware that I can’t control coronavirus. I have no idea when I’ll next be able to push my child in a swing or rescue him from drowning in a rainbow ball pit.
It’s through these daily mundane moments with my kids that I’m learning that there’s really only one thing I can control when I’m inevitably faced with any of life’s challenges: My response.
Amidst the heartbreak, I still have a choice – and I’m choosing to respond with love.
I figure I can either wish these moments away, or recognise that personally, I’ve found a positive to pluck from the pandemic. I hope this never happens again – and because of that, I can recognise that this exclusive quality time with my family is a once-off.
I’m becoming more conscious about talking at my kids less, and listening to them more. I’m finding I can hear them clearer, without the background waffle of life’s white noise.
My kids continue to teach me valuable life lessons in this season. The more patience I practice with them, the more I realise that the mum they know who talks at them about key milestones, counting and reciting the alphabet isn’t always the mum they need.
They need a mum who will be in all the moments with them – both the Instagramable, and the mundane.
And I’m learning that I need that too.
By Erin Marie
