Wow, here we are already at day 102! 102 days with no school, no activities, and no major visits with anyone really. I am still amazed that we have been home, hanging out for that long, and we all still love each other. Who would have thought. The days are flying by and every Monday morning I wonder how Monday got here already.
We stopped formal school many weeks ago. It was needed for our family to survive, as it caused a lot of anger, sadness and unnecessary fighting. I thought long and hard for the why. What was the cause of the fights? Usually, my kids enjoy learning and going to school. I realized that they were overwhelmed at the situation, the reality that the world around them was changing and that they had no control. They needed to feel control and they needed support to be grounded. I finally realized that every time I brought up school it brought up all the emotions they were fighting. It was too soon to be online with their teachers and friends, as they did not know how to deal with it. They were still grieving and grappling with this huge loss: the loss of friends, routine, and the only life they had ever known. This virus was scary; it was consuming the world and they did not understand the how or why.
Once I really started to see what the reason for their anger and emotions was I started to help my kids feel safe by building new routines and a safety net that did not remind them of the loss. I had to show them that this change could be great and we as a family were going to go forward and we would all be ok. This was a change that took a long time. It was a slow process, as that is all they could handle. Also I did not know how I had no idea where to start, or how to support what they were looking for. This was new to all of us.
As I have shared before, I started to change our family’s rules: I let my kids join Fortnite, watch Youtube and make larger messes than I normally would have. This was part of the fun, the new normal in our home. I made it up as we went. There were tears, hard conversations with friends, but I know now that we are all coming out the other side stronger, happier and more resilient than before.
This time has been a gift. To spend so much time sitting with our own boredom and uncomfortableness, all five of us have grown and learned about our deeper selves. William has found confidence, his voice and what makes him happy. I never imagined I would ever see William with his friends singing as loud as they can while biking down the neighbourhood path. Eleanor has found a friend that has brought out her creative play, the ability to not be ‘shy’, to play make-believe and to just be silly and laugh out loud. Douglas, well this cutie has continued to beat to his own drum, be contented with his own needs and wants. It has been absolutely amazing to watch them transform and gravitate to their strengths and true self. No large influences from friends, no competition, they get be who they are, hang out with who they want and just be little.
Thank You Covid.
A lot of cooking
Home made dough, sauce and the works
William made the rub, put on the rotisserie and learned how to start the BBQ.
Hanging out with neighbours
Happy the parks reopened
Sitting at home, we have read lots of books!
Camping in the backyard
Creating community were we can
We have all done our part
Wherever it Points 
Jenn, your Week 4 blog was very inspiring because both you and your children have learned some valuable tools to use during the Covid 19.. You discovered the need to help your children to feel safe by building new routines and a safety net that didn’t remind your children of what they had lost by not going to school. You reassured them that the entire family was going to go forward. Lastly each child discovered something special during this change about their selves which was really beautiful. Please title each blog with the week you are writing the blog for example- MKE Week 7. This helps the reader and keeps everyone organized. Thanks for sharing- it was a great blog!
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