Our family had an active social calendar pre-pandemic. We went to every birthday party we were invited to. Our sons played sports at our neighborhood playground. During the summer they did swim team. We were frequent fliers at The Children’s Museum, Audubon facilities, and indoor playgrounds. Obviously all of that suddenly came to a halt. Guess what: my constantly on-the-go kids have not complained once!
I was very apprehensive at the prospect of being confined to the house with children that are used to having all the fun all the time. The first few days my 5-year-old would ask “what are we doing fun today?”, and we would explain the situation. Of course, I pinned crafts and experiments. I also ordered some activities to stash in my closet for when they got stir crazy. It hasn’t really happened. Nobody has asked about the baseball season that would normally be underway by now. Or about going to the trampoline park. We went to a birthday party venue to pick up takeout, and nobody said a word about not being able to go in. They actually complain a lot of the times I make them take a ride with me to do curbside pickups.
My kids have been content to be lazy around the house and then ride bikes and play outside with their cousins and neighbors (after home learning). I fess up: they did play with 5 other children the entire time. Obviously, that helped keep them occupied. The gorgeous weather helped to keep them active outside. Other kids aside, they didn’t ask about going places. They have literally ridden their bikes every day, sometimes in different locations, for 9 weeks.
This entire experience has taught me that I don’t need to run my kids all over the city entertaining them. I have always loved how much New Orleans has to offer for kids, and I have tried to take advantage of it. I don’t need to stress about my kids being well rounded by doing sports. After being on the go for their entire lives, my kids seem to be enjoying the break.
