It’s been a crazy 6+ months. I say this because our little family has gone through quite a lot. And aside from our daughter witnessing my breast cancer journey firsthand, and gaining a brother pretty much at the same time, I’ve noticed that the pandemic has affected her in other ways as well:
- She flips out every time we ask her to wash her hands... again.
- We no longer hug/kiss our relatives as greetings or goodbyes.
- She’s immediately defensive when I start questioning her playground habits: “But we wiped everything down and I used hand sanitizer!”
- Although she has no issues wearing her mask, she constantly questions why others aren't.
- She’s learned to live in the car, so if she needs the restroom then it means in the trunk, in the travel potty.
- She asks, “Remember when we went to that restaurant/park/festival/museum/concert?” like it was a lifetime ago.
- When she wants to do something but we can’t, her response is, “I just wish this whole germ thing was over.”
And the baby? Well, he knows when you’re smiling even while wearing a mask, because that’s all he’s known his entire life.
Sometimes, I think it can be easy to forget what our little ones are going through because of all the change we’re dealing with ourselves. Children are resilient, yes; but almost everything they knew only a few short months ago was turned upside down. Add to that the pressure of navigating school in a whole new way... and it’s no wonder some days are harder than others.
Maybe we should give them a little time and space. Maybe we should be gentler, and steadfast, and honest. Maybe we should pray for our children’s educators, like my sister, and so many others, who are giving it their all despite this different and unrecognizable world we’re living in. And maybe we could show each other some grace.
