Apr
…And the Perils of Pandemic Parenting
What a bizarre and unsettled world we’re living in right now. Lockdown life has been thrown upon us, ensuring that we’ve all had to become rapid experts at things like Zoom, washing hands and sourcing toilet paper.
And of course, pandemic parenting.
Having to spend 24/7 with your children, being parent, teacher and Keeper of Snacks, has been a challenge for many.
But as well as the obvious concerns and uncertainty about our current situation, it has also tapped a rich vein of humanity’s survivalist humour.
So here are some of my favourite tweets and memes, to share how lockdown life and pandemic parenting has affected our lives in some ‘interesting’ ways….
Lockdown Life
“Home is the comfiest place to be.” – Winnie the Pooh
I’d agree with Pooh. Although what happens when you’re forced to be there 24/7??
We all started out with the BEST intentions.
Didn’t we?
OK, so we need a plan. That should get us through the day. Right???
Apr 7
Is determined to jam pack the day with so many activities that the day just flies by.Finishes all planned activities by 9.30am.
Manic Mama@JannaKillHimNik
Well, we could focus on keeping on top of chores with all this home time…
Cleaning the house while everyone is home is like brushing your teeth while eating oreos.
Or keeping fit?
My favorite form of cardio is wrestling pajamas onto damp children
Maybe it’s time to venture out for some shopping.
Just make sure you wear the right protective gear:-
😳
At least there’s something to look forward to as the day goes by:-
[checking the clock] guess it’s time to switch from my day leggings to my night leggings.
Girl on the Hill@Mom_Overboard
So that’s the lowdown of lockdown life. Now we take a look at…
The Perils of Pandemic Parenting…
…and the ‘joys’ of homeschooling. 😬
All I can say is, how are teachers not drunk all the time?
Homeschooling can’t be that hard can it?
8 was crying & yelling over his maths and girl twin was crying & yelling because her dress was red not blue and boy twin was crying & yelling at the noise and we all cried & yelled for 25 minutes by which point the school day was done so we all stopped and ate ice cream.
Perhaps it’s time to let dad step in? He’ll know what to do:-
Husband last year: What do you mean she’s “mean” to you? She’s 2. They’re kids. It shouldn’t hurt your feelings.
Husband during quarantine: *crying into gallon of ice cream* I just don’t know why she’d say that to me? And she just screams at me all the time.
Welcome to my world.
The Salty Mamas@saltymamas
Sometimes though, as a parent, you can find a great way to kill two birds with one stone:-
Today I put the kids in swim trunks and said we would go “pretend swimming”They loved it!I did it because I wanted to bond together, have fun despite being stuck inside, and break up the quarantine monotony.But mostly, cause we’re out of clean underwear
At the end of the day, I’m sure we’ll all emerge from pandemic parenting with our dignity intact (although perhaps not looking quite like we did before).
Working from Home, TV and Technology
I’m normally employed at a factory making cuddly toy versions of animals but we are all off because of the coronavirus.
I fill up the machine with the soft material on the outside of the toy.
I’m a fur load worker…
Thankfully, many of us have been able to adapt our work life:-
Although of course it does make us very dependent on technology.
Anyone for Bingo?
Whatever you think about technology though, it has been a crucial way to keep us in contact with the older members of the family.
Although always allow plenty of time:-
Messaging Mum
Me: Hi! Is everything okay?
*mum is typing*
*mum is typing*
*mum is typing*20 minutes later
*mum is typing*
*mum is typing*
*mum is typing*Mum: Yes
Technology has been vital. But I seriously don’t think many of us would survive lockdown life without the TV.
Lots and lots of TV…
I’m not saying my family watches too much tv, but our 5yo just stood up from our family campfire and asked me to pause it.
The other thing that has made getting through this a bit easier is…
Eat, drink and be merry
”It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” – Winnie the Pooh
There’s been a fair bit of comfort eating going on during lockdown life.
At least the kids are setting a good example:-
And so The Battle of the Snacks begins.
The hardest part of quarantine is waiting to eat the good snacks until the kids aren’t around.
Here’s the thing. They’re always around.
You could encourage your kids to try something healthy?
3yo: dad can I have some fruit?
Me: absolutely what would you like?
3yo: I would like cheese and crackers and chocolate.
Me: cool so everything but actual fruit.
It’s no wonder that we’ve turned to the odd glass of something. Or two.
So how about making a nice family game of it?
Wife: What are you guys playing?
Me: Hopscotch.
Wife: But the kids are just hopping up and down while you’re drinking scot-
Me:
Wife: Got an extra glass?
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Cheers!
So that was just a tiny sample of all the wit and wisdom that has been helping to keep us sane over the last few weeks.
Lockdown life and pandemic parenting are tricky to navigate, but I hope you can find your way through – not only with humour, but with some kindness and joy too.
Stay safe and keep well. ❤
Alison Reddihough is the pandemic co-parent of 2 boys and co-founder and writer for Tickled Moon. You can check out their first 2 books “The Birthday BOO!” and “The Christmas Wrapper” here.
You can also check out her other blogs, including Pants on my Head – The Perplexities of Parenting here
and Peachy Poetry – Part Two here
