3 Lessons The Pandemic Taught My Child That I Couldn’t
Boredom is a choice.
My daughter is eight. Before the stay-at-home orders, her life consisted of a structured academic schedule at school, weekly gymnastics classes, and lots of playdates with friends. Everything had a day, time, and place. She could ask me what was happening next, and I could tell her.
Now schools are closed, parks are barricaded, and playdates are canceled for the foreseeable future. My daughter’s day might include a conversation with a next-door neighbor through her screen window or a video chat with a friend on her tablet — and these are the events that would be considered “exciting.”
Along with many other things I mourned when the pandemic hit, I felt sad for my daughter, whose world was suddenly stripped of its stability and routine. But as the days progressed, I’ve noticed extraordinary developments in her growth that may not have happened otherwise. There are certain things that cannot be taught — only lived.
Boredom is a choice
When I first learned the schools would be closed, I lost sleep wondering how in the world I was going to succeed as the commander in chief of entertainment for my daughter, while also trying to work. But I soon realized this was never my role.
