I’ve read a few articles about parents of school-aged kids weighing in on their experience and opinion about school during this lockdown. A lot of them seem to be the “school should be done for the year” kind of opinions, and that’s totally okay, We all get an opinion, right? I do have a slight issue with some of them. some of the articles tend to be calling from a pedestal that we should all agree that this “distance learning” is stupid: “C’mon fellow parents, let’s all agree: This is dumb!”
I read these articles and wonder if I’m the only one over here in disagreement. It’s definitely an adjustment, and I would 100% rather them be physically in class, among their classmates, learning from people who do this ish for a living. But I’m also over here doing my best to eke out a routine for my kids AND myself. And I’m not doing it because I want to be a villain to the folks that want us all on the “NO MORE SCHOOL” team. I’m sticking to it because I DO want my kids to maintain their brain functions, I want their minds to grow, and I don’t want them to stagnate. It’s not for the competitive edge it could/would/might give them compared to those who aren’t doing the work, but because they’re my kids and I want the best for them, I want them to know what perseverance means in daily practice. Oh…..and …..this is self-preservation on my part, friends. My kids THRIVE on a routine, and we ARE finding that beautiful expectation in our day to day life as we know if for now. Sure, it looks different than it did before all of this happened, but that’s what sudden and intense change does to us in general as humans.
I wonder what we are actually teaching our kids if they see us throw our hands up into the air and give up? As Parents, we are the ultimate teacher, and this is an opportunity to show them how we, as amazing humans can adapt to big change while maintaining a sense of normalcy as much as we can. Day by day, step by step.
There’s ALWAYS a grey area for pretty much everything that comes down to an opinion, and I am by no means making this a blanket statement and asking “who’s with me!?” There are households with double earning “essential worker” incomes who cannot commit to being present for their kids’ emotional and educational needs in every moment, especially now. Hell, I can’t even commit to that and I’m with my kids and have the energy to be with them through this. To households who are facing exponential difficulties due to this lockdown, please know that you have my fullest sympathies and my wish is that you find some form of relief through this struggle we are facing as a worldwide people. Do your best to be as balanced as you can for those humans who depend on you, none of this is easy, and we are all winging it.
So, instead of standing on our pedestal and shouting out that we should all be in agreement, let’s take a minute to look at our own, unique situation and try to make the best decision we can make for our circumstances. I wish you all luck, and “may the odds ever be in your favor.”
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Previously published on Medium.com.
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