All these kids, and nowhere to go

How are you holding up? Are you okay?

As for us, we’re doing surprisingly well as we head into another of who-knows-how-many-weeks of being stuck at home together. I feel like our family has spent the past 20 years training for an extended period of social distancing such as this.

Working from home, buying in bulk, going long periods without seeing friends, and living our lives with a constant sense of impending doom? These are already our routine, so the past several weeks have just been an intensification of our normal lives, plus the luxury of not having to drive kids into town and back eleven times a day. I told my therapist (via hygienic telemedicine video chat, of course) that we’re actually kind of living my ideal life, minus the obligatory medical panic.

As you Australians head into your enforced staycations, allow me to share some of the things our family is enjoying or planning to enjoy as we find ourselves alone together:

Read the rest of my latest for The Catholic Weekly.

 

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5 thoughts on “All these kids, and nowhere to go”

  2. Misophonia can often be treated by magnesium. I’m no doctor but I’d recommend mag taurine (taurate). Mag citrate would be ok and is widely available. Definitely don’t use mag oxide, which is only good for constipation.

    We’re having a great time here. It would be even better if there weren’t so much rain. We’re doing lots of biking, hiking, and exercising, which is good because we’re eating like horses. The gym teacher posted some exercise videos on google classroom that almost killed me and then almost killed my kids from laughing so hard at me. We’re playing online trivia 3 nights a week. We’re making the kids watch all the movies we feel like they should see to be culturally literate. My daughter and I are knitting like mad. We’re decluttering like crazy since it’s so easy with everyone home, i.e “Anybody want this? No? Ok. Out it goes.” We’ve had two little kids in the neighborhood who’ve missed out on their bday parties so both times we all stood out on our driveways at an appointed time and sang happy birthday and held up signs and blew party horns. Our neighborhood never comes together like that.

    Our governor canceled school for the rest of the year. The schools keep sending emails about what to do if your kids are stressed and letting us know the counselors are on call. I don’t know what stress they’re talking about because my kids are loving life right now. Two of them have found all the eggs on the Roblox Easter egg hunt. Another one bowled three perfect 300 games in a row on Wii bowling and who knows what victories the others have achieved without all that pesky school to get in the way. Cyber school just doesn’t take up as much of their time. And the high school canceled final exams. And our high school and college kids don’t have many school days left anyway. Summer is right around the corner for them. If I had to guess, I’d say there’s going to be a big uptick in that PA public cyber school next Fall. I think there is a lot less stress (other than financial) for a lot of families.

  3. There’s a great RPG called ‘Roll for Shoes” that younger kids (6 or 7) can play easily but is still interesting enough for older kids too. My husband and I enjoyed it, and he used it to introduce RPGs to a group of his high school students.

    https://rollforshoes.com/

  4. Hey Simcha, Happy Easter- it’s good to “hear” from you. Popped back here a few times- been thinking of you and your family these last few weeks. I hope all is as well as can be…

    Yes our school holidays started and will take on the idea of oldest teaching the youngest something. Great idea. But In all truth, I gotta get them outside because boy do they know how to talk. All. The. time. All. day. Yikes.

    I find the physical activity helps get rid of some of the energy and talking compulsion. Bike rides around the street. Until one comes back with a scraped knee and limps for two weeks straight, begging us to get her crutches. I’ve sorta learnt to change the subject. Quickly. She was trying out her roller blades from 2 years ago. I told her to pad up first and don’t come inside unless something is snapped or twisted or protruding…gotta toughen them up somehow right?

    I learnt I was good, as a child, finding a sit down activity and doing it for hours and hours. Like drawing. It’s this long span concentration I gotta get my kids into. Without. The. Talking…or creating a personal project and doing it. Liked the article.

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