It’s no secret that surviving quarantine is a hard thing. Having been in social isolation for about a week now with a routine that involves too many hours of Netflix, an unhealthy amount of checking the news, a measly 30 minute daily walk and a newfound passion for colouring in, it already feels as if I’m going insane.
And then I read this tweet.
Parenting is hard at the best of times and it’s only gotten even more difficult in the current situation.
A video of an Israeli mother went viral last week. In the video, she reveals that after just two days of trying to support her children through distance learning, she was at breaking point. Frustrated at the work her children’s teachers were asking them to get done at home, she said, “Enough guys, teachers, dial it down, lower expectations!...Ask me how I’m feeling,” she said.
“Falling to pieces!” she exclaimed.
It’s completely understandable. And I suspect, entirely relatable for every parent dealing with having their kids in the household for much longer periods than usual.
And as all of us become more unhinged with every day, parents around the world are doing whatever they can to survive quarantine with kids.
This mum managed to make it to day 12 of social distancing before caving in to her kids’ demands to wear her wedding dress to lunch.
Others replied with their own fancy dresses getting some wear during social distancing. One to a staff Zoom meeting, another pulled out with her daughter. And a third pulled out her as the solo staff member at work.
Other parents took to social media to share their strategies for coping with their kids while in quarantine. One dad took the world by storm, sharing his inventive method for getting a bit of peace and quiet by hiding from his daughter.
One mum had a twist on the tried and tested method of turning on Frozen to keep the kids occupied. To explain to young children why they can’t go outside she said, “Have your kids play Frozen during quarantine. You’re locking the castle gates to conceal their powers. Tell them to leave gloves on.” She added that the bonus of this method is that it makes it harder for the kids to handle snacks.
Although it may just be a slippery slope from playing Frozen with the kids to what this mum experienced when she overheard one of her children telling “the puzzle pieces for the puzzle she’s putting together that they weren’t properly social distancing.”
One dad admitted that he had thrown all home-schooling expectations out the window and had set an entirely new syllabus for his kids.
Another mum went one step further, encouraging not just musical knowledge but a full blown rave-experience complete with armbands for entry and an all-star lineup.
Even parents with older kids can’t escape the reality of being stuck at home with their kids as this mother and daughter demonstrated.
But despite all the joy that can come from being stuck at home with your children, a lot of parents in quarantine are probably regularly feeling a little like this.
Do what you’ve got to do. Because when it comes down to it, parents are proving themselves to be the in such a trying time.
