Due to the pandemic, I am with my kids 24/7, but I miss them so much. Let me say that again: I’m with them ALL the time, but somehow I MISS them terribly.
Believe me when I say I know how strange this sounds. Summers for us are usually spent being casual, spontaneous, and adventurous. During normal summers, I try to have at least one excuse to get us all out of the house each day. Sometimes this is an activity as big as a day at the local amusement park, and other days it is as small as a trip to the grocery store. Either way, we get out, which means we are spending time together.
It is no surprise that this Summer 2020 has been totally different.
None of us are looking for excuses to get out on a regular basis. In fact, it’s just the opposite. We are looking for excuses to stay in. It has become harder and harder to convince my kids to get out of the house. I miss that time together on these outings.
You might be thinking, “Well she still has time with them, it is just at home!” This is true, but something has happened in my house that I did not predict. My kids (ages 11, 9, and 6) have become incredibly independent from me and dependent on each other. They make their own breakfast and lunch. They plan activities to do together. Often, I hear them playing Future, Family, Ninjago, YouTube Influencer, and playing in the pool together. None of this includes me and I feel left out. I miss the times that they would play with ME and do the things I like to do with them. I miss when they would go along for the daily outings because they relied on me for activity ideas. Now their heads are full of their own ideas.
However, when I take a step back, I look from the outside looking in. I see them developing their creativity, problem-solving, life skills, and social skills. I know these are all critical developments and I just need to remind myself that I am still a part of it, just from a different vantage point. We are all going to come out of this pandemic differently than when it started. For my kids, they will certainly have stronger bonds with each other and new coping skills. Maybe someday in the future (when age-appropriate), they will have a few Coronas and reminisce about how much they bonded in 2020. It is my hope that when this happens, I don’t miss the time together because they will invite me to join their trip down memory lane.
