Parenting in a Pandemic – Life Slows Down
NATALIE HEINZ
Ezekiel third week at daycare ended as the stay at home order went into effective. Both my job and Bryan’s had transitioned to work from home. Two weeks at home turned into 11 weeks. It was an incredibly difficult time to attempt full time care for our six month old and full time work at the same time. There was no end in sight to being quarantined with a baby and it was hard every day. The worst part was that my village had disappeared overnight. I had no support system because bringing anyone in was a risk. We waited daily for new guidance for when we could go back to some kind of normal – a normal that has yet to come.
Maybe some caregivers enjoyed being able to spend all that extra time with their children, but I was struggling. I enjoyed going to work. I enjoyed my job (which was also changing during this time as I began a supervisor position). I enjoyed spending time outside of the home to go to yoga. I enjoyed sending my son to grandma and grandpa’s house for him to bond and us to have a break. I enjoyed taking him places and doing activities with him. I enjoyed going on date nights with my husband. I knew all of these things were essential for my own quality mental health and for the well-being of my family. All of that had grind to a halt literally overnight.
We had to adapt every day. We learned to find unexpected times of gratitude during this time.
Quarantine with my six month old turned in seven months, eight months, and nine months. As difficult as it was to keep up with my busy, social, independent, adventure-seeker, being at home with him allowed me to see a million of his firsts. These were firsts I was so heartbroken to lose with my angel babies from my two previous miscarriages, so they were certainly special. Bryan and I were both able to see Zeke as he learned to sit up, crawl, stand, and walk (all quickly following one another). He also learned to climb before walking, which I was very unprepared for – it was certainly a time that kept us on our toes.
During this time, I also was able to begin daily yoga again for about a month. This was very helpful to getting through this time especially when Zeke was waking up early and I was having to care for him all day and night.
Finally, in June, Zeke’s daycare opened back up and he had a spot to be able to go. Even though I was worried about the transition, Zeke did better than I could have ever expected. He continued to love it every day despite all the changes and transitions – rooms, rules, friends. We were so incredibly grateful for his specific daycare. They have done an amazing job at keeping every safe and healthy. We were even grateful for the change in classrooms and teachers because he has had such a great time. He recently transitioned into the toddler room, and he is loving it!
Even though daycare has opened back up, we are still dealing with this pandemic and the world in constant flux. Gratitude continues because none of us have been sick during this time. The world during this and time has strangely slowed down a little. Don’t get me wrong – I would love for things to be more normal. However, it has been nice to not have to race to the office every day. Bryan has continued to work fully from home during this time, and I have been working some from home as well.
During this time, I have learned to love my family a little differently. I have learned to take a step back and enjoy how time moving slowly can be a positive. I have learned to feel grateful for my life just the way it is right now – even though I could definitely use my village back. I know that we will have to accept our world in its new normal from now on, but today I will be grateful for how our world got a little smaller as I focus on my little family with peace, love, and gratitude.
Natalie is a wife, mother, therapist, and enneagram one. She works at the Children’s Home as a licensed clinical professional counselor working as a supervisor to therapists in foster care. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Bryan, for the past seven years. She has two angel babies, Andrew and Ellie, and a one-year old son, Ezekiel. She enjoys yoga, counseling, foster care, and the enneagram.