Being the sole adult that could do anything about it in our household made me nervous and I made it my mission to inhale all the information I could about the possibility of a Pandemic. At the beginning of March we just seemed to be spiraling in this inevitable global soap opera. On the 1st, the US recorded its first COVID-19 death in Washington State. Two days later, on March 3rd, 2020, “Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced spectators would not be allowed at most of the Arnold Classic.”[1] By March 5th, Ohio obtains its first set of testing kits that take several days to process. On March 9th, Ohio confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County, and Gov. DeWine declares a state of emergency. The state of emergency caused a bit of panic. My Husband, still recovering from a Bone Marrow Transplant, was a bit more relaxed about it, but I was reading every article on the internet that I could find about it, and my sense of urgency was heightened tremendously. I rushed to order a ClickList at Kroger’s for groceries to be picked up the next day. The next day colleges started issuing orders to turn classes into online courses, and our neighbor was on Spring Break from Ohio State University and received word that all her classes would now be conducted online. Over the next few days, public gatherings around the country are canceled by national leaders, and travel restrictions from Europe begin to be issued.
On
March 12th, Governor DeWine addresses the public, announcing that
all schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade would close for a 3-week
break beginning on March 16 (the following Tuesday). Then at that time would be
reassessed. But, now we know it’s likely going to be this way until the summer
break. That day was a rough one, and we wondered if this threat was so bad,
should we even send our 7-year-old Liam, back to school the next day. Our School district
was still working on its plan. The District announced their plan the next day, on Friday, March 13th, that would be the last day
of school for our district until after the planned Spring Break, three weeks from then. Students would
then return to school on April 13th. The district decided to use the
first week as calamity days and begin “homeschool” or virtual schooling the
next week. I
talked to my best friends with kids and decided it’d be best for Liam to go and
get the resources he would need over the coming days. He returned home, not
scared or upset, but not understanding what all this meant and with his bookbag
laden with supplies. Liam’s teacher sent him home with all his workbooks,
folders, papers, reading books, pencils, crayons, a Chromebook, and a few other
items. The bag was heavy. I was so relieved when he came home and breathed a sigh of relief for the time being. At first it was difficult, but being a former teacher I knew the structure would be essential. So, together with my Husband, we instituted new "house rules." Mostly to protect my husband, the first few days we kept very much to ourselves. We kept to a schedule and with the weather still being rather a cold outside it was easy to impose. But over the coming days Liam needed more interaction. We were also keeping our distance from my parents, which broke my heart, but I was afraid of them getting sick just as much as Keith getting sick.
Slowly, as with anything else, the rules began to ease. The weather began to improve and Liam needed outdoor time and time to play with other kids. Luckily, our next-door neighbors, my good friend, and her family made for the perfect "Quarantine Buddies." They were also being very careful, and only her husband had to leave home for work. So, we allowed the kids to play together. Insisting they give each other a bit of space, but allowing them to interact, ride bikes and be kids. Liam really started doing even better attitude-wise.
Homeschooling is a beast. It has been really good for Liam. He has that one on one time with both my husband and I to help him. Either I or Dad take each lesson and helps him accomplish his goals. We help when needed, but do our best to let him figure things out. I quite enjoy having us all together. The key to keeping everyone happy seems to be just getting outside once a day. We go for a walk most days when my husband is up to it or otherwise just let Liam play outside. Don't get me wrong, I know we are lucky. Most people don't have both parents at home and able to engage as we are, soon Keith will be back to work and we'll both be working from home; but the important thing is we are still able to keep normalcy and stay safe.
After the first orders were issued, and the extensions for "stay at home" were made, I began to realize this was not necessarily going to be temporary. I prepared myself. I don't know how parents that work outside the home are managing this new normal. Luckily, today is the last day of school for my kid. He is very excited, and we are so proud of how well he has adapted to this strange new world. Kids are truly adaptable in more ways than I imagined. All in all, I think we did really well, we have our good and bad days. We'd have more good days if I didn't read so many social media posts from people hell-bent on spreading lies and gossip as if it were the gospel, but that is a topic for another day. Staying positive is my main goal right now, and though that is difficult at times, it is something to strive for.
Now, we are just left wondering what next Fall will look like.
