One would think it is near impossible to face the reality parents are facing during our 2020 coronavirus pandemic. As a father of two, I’m naturally inclined to handle any obstacle thrown at me. I wouldn’t consider myself the panicky type, however, I did initially ponder how federal and state regulations regarding coronavirus would truly affect the daily routine for my children and I.
A typical day pre-pandemic in early March 2020 would have looked like this:
I would have my five-year old son ready to leave for school by 08:40 AM. After observing him safely enter the school, my three-year old daughter would keep me awake long enough until we both could take a nap.
I’m a night shift employee who works three 12-hour shifts, so I take advantage of the little sleep I get. Whether I slept long or not, I would set the alarm and be in the car rider line at 3:45 PM to pick up my son from school.
After looking in my son’s lunch box to discover he ate 80% of his lunch, I felt compelled to stop for fast food before going to our local YMCA. Childcare hours conveniently opened at 4:30 PM and we would leave no later than 6 PM.
Heading home meant nightly routines were kicking in. This included free play, homework completion, eating dinner, taking a bath, brushing teeth, reading a bed time story and praying.
After March 13, 2020, our daily routine changed..
It is crazy what we take for granted. In an instant, everything my family and I loved doing were taken away from us. From me attending the gym on a daily basis, to my son enjoying his learning at school, to my daughter being able to see her friends at the Sunshine Room at the YMCA. Though, the pandemic forced the closure of a lot of businesses we love and utilize, it has never stopped our desires of living and exploring the beautiful planet we all reside.
The time I have had to dedicate wholly and genuinely to my children has been an amazing experience. The bond we have always shared has forever been strong, but ever more so strengthened, thanks to COVID-19.
My children were crushed to know the places they love closed. Places such as school, the YMCA, Chuck E Cheese, even Malibu Jacks forced us to be a little bit more creative. After all, businesses shut down means more ways to be destructive at home. I’ve always lived by the motto A Clean Home is a Happy Home and COVID wasn’t destroying that bare necessity for me. What perplexed me more about this whole topic was my children’s interest in hearing me discuss frequently what coronavirus is and why it prevented us from resuming our daily lives. How a young mind at the age of four can comprehend the gravity of what is occurring around her is baffling to me.
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THCreate 
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