Is anyone else (secretly) liking social distancing and schools being closed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not necessarily enjoying it but as an introvert this is fabulous. No stupid play dates awkwardly trying to make
conversation with parents you’d never be friends with if your kids weren’t friends. No having to get up at 6am to get ready for the day (we now get up between 9-10am). No rushing to a myriad of activities and no feelings of guilt about not doing said activities because no one is doing them. The lack of open stores and restaurants mean we aren’t spending as much money and we are all enjoying cooking together as a family. We have gotten much closer with our neighbors and message each other about groceries but otherwise don’t engage in small talk. If we could put in a pool in the backyard, I’d never leave my house this summer. Kids seem happier and love spending all of this time with us, it’s awesome.

More parents of young kids. People should really post their kids ages. If your kids aren’t missing their friends and their old lives, then you really have no idea what the rest of us are going through.

On the other hand, young kids need constant attention, while older kids can be independent for long periods of time.

[Anonymous]

I wish my kids were younger and were just content with DH and I. It is heartbreaking seeing how sad they are and how much they miss before. I wish they were toddlers and didn’t care and wouldn’t remember this.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you Op, but I have a live in nanny that helps a lot with my 3 kids. I would not feel the same way if I had to work and take care of my 3 (under 6) kids...
But because of how lucky I am, I am able to spend more time with everyone, work and go for a run everyday (mon-fri)

[Anonymous]

I just wish we could live like this without the horrible losses in our population and in the economy. My kids are 11 and 12, their private school has an awesome distance learning set up, husband and I are both working from home and loving it, the animals are happy, our yard looks great, there is no rushing around 24/7 and no commutes! We are so lucky to live in a great house in a walkable neighborhood. The kids ride their bikes for hours and we get to see our friends (at a distance) more than ever before.

The key word here is LUCK. God forbid one of us or a loved one gets sick. My heart is very conflicted with all of this, but for now, I just feel lucky and (I HATE this word) grateful.

[Anonymous]

DH is a workaholic with zero paternity leave. We just had a newborn and under normal circumstances, DH would have barely spent any time with the baby. Instead, he gets lots of quality bonding with both the baby and our older DD who is loving it. We get to eat dinner as a family every night. I thought DH and I would drive each other crazy, but we've been fine! Since I'm on maternity leave, I don't have to juggle WFH and taking care of the kids like many of you do. I've been getting my homeschooling fix that I always wanted, but with none of the pressure since ODD is not in primary school yet. It's been fun for both of us!

On the other side of things, the pandemic has created a lot of issues with DH's work and he's expecting both a pay cut and professional downgrade. All the plans I made for second baby - visits from grandparents, extra childcare so I could spend quality 1:1 time with each kid and take care of myself - all went out the door. My body feels like a big pile of mush. I know my issues, while they make me sad and stressed, are not that big a deal in the bigger scheme, though.

So overall, for us, our day-to-day lives are better since we get to enjoy each other as a family more. At the same time, we're stressed for our close family members who are essential workers and that we'll catch covid-19 and pass it along to the newborn. And for how bad things are and that they'll get only worse for so many others. I like to focus on the positive, though, not just for my sake but for the other people I live with.

[Anonymous]

I’m actually enjoying my depression, I feel like it’s justified now.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, at times I do enjoy it. On the one hand, juggling childcare and work sometimes feels like it might kill me. But on the other hand, I like getting more time with my kid, especially at this age (15 months) when it seems like she's changing every day. I don't think I'd do well as a SAHM, and that's not something I really want, but this feels like, I don't know, like some bonus maternity leave. Considerably more stressful, but I do find myself enjoying it.

But I feel like an asshole admitting that there are parts of this I enjoy when people are dying and out of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not necessarily enjoying it but as an introvert this is fabulous. No stupid play dates awkwardly trying to make
conversation with parents you’d never be friends with if your kids weren’t friends. No having to get up at 6am to get ready for the day (we now get up between 9-10am). No rushing to a myriad of activities and no feelings of guilt about not doing said activities because no one is doing them. The lack of open stores and restaurants mean we aren’t spending as much money and we are all enjoying cooking together as a family. We have gotten much closer with our neighbors and message each other about groceries but otherwise don’t engage in small talk. If we could put in a pool in the backyard, I’d never leave my house this summer. Kids seem happier and love spending all of this time with us, it’s awesome.

More parents of young kids. People should really post their kids ages. If your kids aren’t missing their friends and their old lives, then you really have no idea what the rest of us are going through.

+1
And if your kids want to be home with you all day, something is wrong with the way their lives are structured. That's not healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not necessarily enjoying it but as an introvert this is fabulous. No stupid play dates awkwardly trying to make
conversation with parents you’d never be friends with if your kids weren’t friends. No having to get up at 6am to get ready for the day (we now get up between 9-10am). No rushing to a myriad of activities and no feelings of guilt about not doing said activities because no one is doing them. The lack of open stores and restaurants mean we aren’t spending as much money and we are all enjoying cooking together as a family. We have gotten much closer with our neighbors and message each other about groceries but otherwise don’t engage in small talk. If we could put in a pool in the backyard, I’d never leave my house this summer. Kids seem happier and love spending all of this time with us, it’s awesome.

Do you work?