Sometimes
it takes a mom with a sense of humor in the thick of pandemic co-parenting,
writing as if from a foxhole, with not one, not two, but four kids (including infant twin daughters!) to realize we’re not
only in good company in this ongoing crisis, but we can actually use this crazy
time for helpful perspective.
Popsugar writer
Anne Fitzgerald provides a wonderful perspective. She is dealing
with pandemic co-parenting, while her husband has been taking medication to
treat Chronic Myeloid Leukemia for eight years.
For anyone
not dealing with that kind of load this becomes a reality check.
READ MORE: Homeschooling
Clearly, despite
a chronic, if treatable, health issue, this family of six is able to swing the
combo of remote learning and work-from-home, although their situation is not
without intensity and, of course, drama. She does not give a list of how fellow
parents could copy her to help get through the inevitable bumps and potholes in
the road, but we can glean some helpful hints.
For
starters, Fitzgerald makes a point to be the first up in the morning, which
allows her some quiet time (to pump breast milk for the twins and “some light
reading of the news,” although that last bit doesn’t sound relaxing at all).
She and her
husband compromise a bit, but frankly, that’s refreshing. They allow their two
eldest – their sons – to wear pajama pants during Zoom lessons if they pinky promise
not to stand up. Fitzgerald also freely admits to bribing her youngest. “I bribe
him with every Paw Patrol toy, ice cream sandwich, and future adventure I can
dream up,” she unapologetically says. But apparently just changing her tone of
voice works best, although she attributes increased voice usage to a sore
throat which makes her wake up every morning thinking she’s seriously ill.
READ MORE: Get physical while remote learning
“Many
mornings,” she says, “I wake up with a sore throat and wonder if I have
COVID-19 until I remember that I barely leave the house, and I spend most of my
day barking out orders, answering questions, and spelling out entire journal
entries letter by letter. So it's no wonder my voice is strained. My voice can
now mutate at the drop of a dime, as I can be speaking in sweet-toned baby talk
one minute and the next be dragging my son back to his virtual desk while
chanting the days-of-the-week song.”
Ultimately,
Fitzgerald and her husband are models of forbearance, and inspiring to any
parent messily managing, but nevertheless managing, this unprecedented time.
Extra special props go to teachers, who Fitzgerald now sees, with more clarity
than ever, are deserving of the deepest respect.