This might sound a little weird and even a little off for some but there have been a few good things coming out with this social distancing thing. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my alone time SO MUCH, and I believe my kids are done with my face too.
I guess the silver lining in all this is that I have learned a few things about me and my family that will probably translate to our future lives once this situation passes.
For once, I would say that it is much more relaxing to have a weekend where I know I have NOWHERE to be… but is better than just saying no to an invitation, because you have to say no and then there is that little part of me that feels a little guilty. So, my weekends now are all mine and I like it. I get so much done and even really relax.
I started back on a couple of my old hobbies.
I have always liked making things, whether it is with clay or paper mache, painting, and even baking (this one will show when we get out in public again, lol)… I like it messy apparently. It is very soothing and it keeps my creativity flowing. True, I can’t do them as much as I would like since I am still responsible for two small lives but even in small doses is nice.
I feel more comfortable in my skin.
I workout at home when I can, and after my daughter pointed out that there was no need for a shirt since we are inside, I took her 5-year-old wisdom and while saving laundry detergent, I am getting more used to see more skin, I am getting used to wearing shorts and tops that I would probably not wear in public. The more you do it ,the less “shocking” it is and more natural it feels… highly recommended.
I discovered new ways to bond with my kids.
Even though school work will be the death of me, I had to find ways to make the message go through, find the way they would get it, and even have fun if possible. Two kids, two completely different thought processes. I also discovered that my daughter is REALLY GOOD at math and that my son’s attention span is 0.
Being locked together has made us (my kids, husband, and I) learn to talk about our feelings more, and naming these feelings as much as possible and finding a way to express them more appropriately. Usually, this happens after a “worst mother of the year feeling” for a poorly handled situation and a crying child/parent or both episode.
This is still very hard and too many lives have been lost to this virus, but I believe that some nuggets of positivity can be found in this chaos.
What have you discovered about your family or yourself?