Y’all, I am overwhelmed. I am suddenly a full-time-stay-at-home-mom. I am suddenly a home school teacher. I am a wife who cooks and cleans. I am President of my own business, working full time while laying off 90 employees. I am the cook, the maid, the teacher, the mom, the wife, and everything in between. I. Am. Overwhelmed. And chances are, if you’re reading this, you are too.
Our worlds have been turned upside down; there’s no questioning that. COVID-19 swept into our lives with much grandeur, and it doesn’t seem to be leaving any time soon, so we are stuck playing the hand we’ve been dealt. For the past six weeks, I have felt like I’ve been fighting fire with fire and running in circles. I feel like the proverbial squirrel who is up sh*t creek without a paddle, and I am trying so hard to fill all these roles. All I can seem to think about is myself and how exhausted I am and how I wish things would just go back to normal.
Then, a few nights ago, my youngest came to me after dinner. She told me how she misses her friends and her teachers, but she loves that we are spending more time as a family. She told me how her goal for this whole stay-at-home order is for the four of us to sit down and play a board game together because (and I quote), “You and dad are always too busy and now you have the time.”
Y’all.
That hurt.
My kid thinks I’m too busy for her.
My kid doesn’t look at quarantine as a bad thing in her life.
My kid wants more time with her parents.
That truly hurt my heart. I work hard to make sure my family’s physical needs are met. They have clothing, technology, all the things money can buy, most nights they even have a home-cooked meal on the table, and even when it’s not home-cooked, we sit down for dinner as a family every night of the week. I work hard to create the “perfect life” for my kids, but I have never stopped to consider the things they truly want and need: family time and family fun.
I hate this quarantine business, I truly do. Let’s be real here. I can’t wait to wander the aisles of Target alone again. But maybe this is a time to slow down and spend some quality time with our kids. They, especially the younger ones, don’t see this as a negative event in their lives, so why make it so bad? Maybe it’s a good time to put down our phones and dust off our childhood board games like Clue and Battleship, and have a good old fashioned family game night (or 10, I mean, what else do we have to do)?
Mommas, life is hard, but it is short. Momming is hard, but all too soon, the kids will be away at college then off on their own. Take some time now to enjoy some unplugged time with your kiddos. I know it means the world to mine.
