In early March, on a Sunday night before getting into bed, my husband looked at me with a very worried and concerned face and told me that we needed to have an in depth conversation with our children about cleanliness and precautions. I was kind of confused because I really did not understand his fear, until he began to tell me about Covid-19. I, like many people, dismissed this and did not want to think about this virus too much and give into fear. I was thinking our country, state, and local government would take precautionary measures to slow and stop the spread of Covid-19 before it would affect our lives.
After speaking to family and friends (some that work in the healthcare field), they also shared their concerns and some precautions they were taking as well. I have three children and I am a teacher, so I really felt that I needed to step up, be proactive and keep my family and students safe. I made sure there was plenty of soap at home and in my class available for everyone. My sister and I made sure our children had their personal bottles of hand sanitizer and we explained to them that they should have one in their lunch box to use before and after lunch and the other bottle should be in their backpack to use in between class transitions. In my classroom, I usually have 3 separate locations with hand sanitizer, tissues, and wipes, however, with this new virus I wanted to keep everyone as safe as possible, so I added 3 more locations in my class for students to access these materials. I also took the time to review hand washing, sneezing and coughing procedures in school and at home.
I kept a positive attitude and hoped that we would be safe from the coronavirus which had already attacked several countries worldwide. I was preparing for my 5th grade students’ end of the year trip to Universal Studios, so I was hoping this would all just go away. But within two short weeks, our county had confirmed their first case of Covid-19 and I had two parents email me that they would not be sending their children to school due to their own health. That was when it hit me; when I realized this was more serious than the common cold.
Within a couple of days our school transitioned to “Distance/Remote Learning,” and our city would begin to follow a stay-at-home order. My family remained at home with very little contact from anyone outside our house. Instead of our regular Sunday morning grocery shopping routine, we switched to Instacart which was a grocery delivery service and they would drop off all our groceries outside of our door. My husband and I would then sit and wipe down each product with a Clorox wipe before placing it in the refrigerator or pantry. I sat at my sewing machine and began to make masks for our family and a few friends that worked in the healthcare field. Anything we needed we would order through Amazon and when those packages arrived, they remained in quarantine at our front door for 24-48 hours. My husband not only created his office on our dining table, but he made sure our children and I had our computers and laptops ready for online classes. Our Spring Break plans to go to Disney World were cancelled and plans to go to the movies, pool, zoo, or bowling switched to at-home movie and game nights. This has become our “new normal.”
Our “new normal” has been pretty easy for my family to adapt to. My husband and I have been fortunate enough to work from home, our children have transitioned to remote learning smoothly, and we have been able to spend a lot more quality time together. Each day between 6:45-7:00 am, I wake up and make breakfast for my family as they get ready for the day, keep in mind that making breakfast for my family is something that I usually do on the weekends or during the summer due to our different school and work schedules. After breakfast, we each move to our bedrooms (me in my craft room of course) and log into our classes (work). Around 11 in the morning I have a short break and I prepare lunch for my family which usually consists of something warm such as pasta, meatball subs, dumplings, chicken and rice and I am even able to serve various portions of fruits and vegetables which they will be able to eat with plenty of time instead of rushing to finish and throw away food as my children have often told me they do in school. Once lunch is over, everyone goes back into their rooms and get back to classes or work until about 3:30 pm. At this time, if I do not have a faculty meeting or if I am not assisting a student during my office hours, I will begin to prepare dinner so that it is ready by 6 pm latest. Our family is not commuting from different locations at different times to get home, so we are able to spend more time having conversations, playing video games together, having outdoor BBQ dinners, baking, and every Thursday we have a family movie night. We occasionally go for a walk or use the stationary bike in our house to get some exercise, but by all means, we avoid contact with people. By 10:30 every weeknight, everyone is in their bedrooms and winding down for the night, and for anyone that really knows me, this is beyond bedtime for my kids. Our weekends have consisted of staying up late, waking up late, binge watching TV, and playing video games all within our home. If that doesn’t seem so bad, imagine telling your 20 year old daughter she can’t go out with her friends or boyfriend because everything is closed and you don’t want her to get Covid-19. I have a big family, where just about every other weekend it is someone’s birthday or we love to get together and spend time together just because its a Sunday. Unfortunately, those random weekend gatherings and birthday celebrations have become a thing of the past. This has become our “new normal.”
I am beyond grateful and blessed that my family is safe and healthy and that we have been able to transition and adapt to this new lifestyle with very little issues. We have very limited contact with others, including our families, but I do wonder how long will this last. How long before we can safely celebrate birthdays and holidays with our family? How long before we can go grocery shopping without the fear of getting Covid-19? How long before I can leave my house without an extra mask in my purse or car? This has become the sad reality of our “new normal,” but this is the reality. I know that everyone has a different opinion and view about Covid-19 and that is fine, but I myself look at the world, at the global impact this has had, and I am worried about future. The economy is suffering, mental and physical health is at risk, and education will feel the impacts too. How long will it take for us to recover from this? How long before our lives can be somewhat normal? I don’t know if anyone can answer those questions, but until the cases, hospitalizations and deaths in our country, state and city decrease, all I can do is follow guidelines to be safe and healthy, for myself, my family and my community.
