Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's been fine, I love my family. But I can't wait to see other people for limited amounts of time.

I don't really have a deeper analysis. We are healthy, fed, entertained... We are struggling with time and energy management because we've literally had zero help with two small kids since March 12. But we have a routine now and it's manageable. Early on, I reposted the meme "Your grandparents were called to war. You're being called to sit on your couch. You can do this." I got some flack from friends who thought I was being insensitive about mental health impacts, but I stand by it 100%. Of course, this is not as easy as sitting on your couch, but I think of my European grandparents, all of whom fought in WWII - they flew dangerous missions with the RAF, smuggled radios through Nazi checkpoints, cared for the sick and the dying, and taught schoolchildren while bombs literally fell around them. That perspective makes any thought of feeling sorry for myself dissipate immediately.

While true, your grandparents had community. Everyone was in it, not just half or a 1/4 of people. People could still get together, families helped each other. Its a different mental hurdle now.

What do you mean by this?
I feel like everyone is in on it. Certainly more than 1/2.

Anonymous wrote:It's been fine, I love my family. But I can't wait to see other people for limited amounts of time.

I don't really have a deeper analysis. We are healthy, fed, entertained... We are struggling with time and energy management because we've literally had zero help with two small kids since March 12. But we have a routine now and it's manageable. Early on, I reposted the meme "Your grandparents were called to war. You're being called to sit on your couch. You can do this." I got some flack from friends who thought I was being insensitive about mental health impacts, but I stand by it 100%. Of course, this is not as easy as sitting on your couch, but I think of my European grandparents, all of whom fought in WWII - they flew dangerous missions with the RAF, smuggled radios through Nazi checkpoints, cared for the sick and the dying, and taught schoolchildren while bombs literally fell around them. That perspective makes any thought of feeling sorry for myself dissipate immediately.

While true, your grandparents had community. Everyone was in it, not just half or a 1/4 of people. People could still get together, families helped each other. Its a different mental hurdle now.

I cant wait for alone time and silence. No stimulus. No guilt from either ignoring work or my kid. My escape right now is to go to the grocery store and listen to music really loud or take an hour during nap time and go get crappy food while I read a book in the park parking lot.

We passed on a summer session daycare spot because PG county was still not looking like it was going to enter phase 2 anytime soon and neither of our offices are back open. Hindsight 20/20 we should have taken the spot.

It's been fine, I love my family. But I can't wait to see other people for limited amounts of time.

I don't really have a deeper analysis. We are healthy, fed, entertained... We are struggling with time and energy management because we've literally had zero help with two small kids since March 12. But we have a routine now and it's manageable. Early on, I reposted the meme "Your grandparents were called to war. You're being called to sit on your couch. You can do this." I got some flack from friends who thought I was being insensitive about mental health impacts, but I stand by it 100%. Of course, this is not as easy as sitting on your couch, but I think of my European grandparents, all of whom fought in WWII - they flew dangerous missions with the RAF, smuggled radios through Nazi checkpoints, cared for the sick and the dying, and taught schoolchildren while bombs literally fell around them. That perspective makes any thought of feeling sorry for myself dissipate immediately.

Well full disclosure, we now have a babysitter coming every day, so the situation is WAY different now than it was March-May. But in general I feel pretty happy and lucky to have my little family unit. H and I have split it all up really well, very few arguments or resentment. We've tried to be creative about weekend activities. My kids are doing fine (ages 3 and 1).

But I don't feel like I'll miss this time, to be honest. I've learned that we are all people who are happier when we are active and out and about. My H and I have done our best to make weekend days feel special but I'm even getting sick of hikes and picnics, which in normal times are some of my favorite activities. I desperately miss the museums, the library, performances and festivals, public pools, breweries, restaurants, play areas, playgrounds, date nights, friends and play dates most of all!

So, I feel happy and lucky to be stuck in this bad situation with such a great little group, but it is still a bummer and I'm really looking forward to normal life resuming again someday.

Anonymous wrote:Why? They don't need you as much as you think they do.

Oh really? Please tell my toddler, kindergartner, and 2nd grader with ADHD that. Oh and my employer and my husband's employer. Surprisingly, they seem to think they need quite a bit.

Why? They don't need you as much as you think they do.

Our family is super close and relationships are good. I am personally suffering. I've gained so much weight, am tired all the time, no motivation to work out or eat healthy. I'm spent.

But the family is great. I've sacrificed myself to keep everything running smoothly for everyone else.

My marriage is better than ever, but it’s always been great. We are more than fine with being on top of each other.

But it’s really opened my eyes to gaps in my parenting. I’m applying aggressively to mommy track jobs. I want to be around more.

We're fine as a family. I am so, so tired of my next door neighbor though.

I’m managing with my DC and new WFM much better than expected but feel so much burning resentment against my spouse who is the opposite of a partner. No abuse but so much anger from him at any small request for help, when I’m doing 99.9% of everything all the time. I earn more too. Was thinking about divorce a lot before the pandemic (and for years in and off) but I stayed out of inertia and pity for him. Now I feel stuck indefinitely and am so depressed. I’m afraid of covid but I don’t think I can wait for a vaccine to get out.

DH is still working out of the home quite a bit. I work from home, but go in from time to time, run all of the errands, and have kept up a pretty regular exercise routine.

I feel like the mom from “Flowers in the Attic.” DH and I are kind of living our lives, and the kids are trapped at home.

Everything is status quo here for the most part. Each of our kids had one major meltdown full of screaming hysterically, about a month in. It was really hard for them to adjust from barely being at home to being home all the time. Other than that day for each, it's the same.

Watching our two year old full time while we both worked was really hard. Some days I really enjoyed the extra time with him, but more often I was distracted by my work and felt like I was failing at both my job and parenting. Sending him back to daycare has been a blessing.

My husband is a rock and our relationship is always solid. Working remotely in the same room has been annoying at times, and we've bickered a few times about chores, but overall our relationship is great and hasn't changed at all during quarantine.

I'm 7 months pregnant and I am a little sad that I've spent so much of my pregnancy so isolated. I'm looking forward to maternity leave way less now than I might have otherwise, because another 5 months at home just don't seem as appealing anymore. But at the end of the day my family is happy and healthy, and I know how lucky I am that I can say that.

Its been nice not running to activities every night but the activities are good for mine. It is nice to eat together but then I have to cook all the time... things were working, things are working. We miss the activities but are fine either way. My spouse has worked at home a few years most days and SAHP so this is our normal minus activities.