Anonymous wrote:Having our newborn all to ourselves without worrying a visitor or our toddler would give her a cold.

No colds or flu.

Having DH home.

Getting very close to our nanny of 2.5 years since we only saw her and she only saw us.

Learning how much we can do without (like going to the gym, manicures and pedicures, toddler classes, endless in person work meetings, etc.)

+1. It actually was a great time to have a baby. Not worrying about newborn getting sick or entertaining while still bleeding like a stuck pig has been great!

Anonymous wrote:It’s really sad the was so many of you were living pre Covid.

Like kids in sports and sending them to school? Yeah, it’s tragic. /s

Having a good excuse not to go visit family

Anonymous wrote:Sleep. For the whole family. Proper sleep.

This. My teen needs it and the circles under my eyes are gone. I just started back to school this week so we will see how long it takes for me to develop them again. I was getting at least 1-2 hrs more sleep every day. My DS was getting 90 minutes more sleep every day.

No parking garage fees.
No commute.
No running around like crazy ferrying the kids.
No need to attend meetings/events in person.
Being able to spend more than 2 hours a day with the kids
No need to say no social invitations
Enjoying simple things like walks, nature and drives.

It’s really sad the was so many of you were living pre Covid.

Having our newborn all to ourselves without worrying a visitor or our toddler would give her a cold.

No colds or flu.

Having DH home.

Getting very close to our nanny of 2.5 years since we only saw her and she only saw us.

Learning how much we can do without (like going to the gym, manicures and pedicures, toddler classes, endless in person work meetings, etc.)

sleep
zero colds - and I have one child who gets bronchitis with every cold

my favorite, mentioned above- no obligatory social events

I do not miss the stress of weekday sports and activities everyday
More family time
Saving money from daycare and activities
Exploring the outdoors in/around the DMV
My 3yo learning to ride a 2-wheeler
Our brand new car that we bought just before the shutdown has only 8k miles
Getting to know the neighbors and their kids
Eating more homemade meals
Binge watching Netflix shows
Equal (or more) work hours while working from home without the commute
Being able to play with my kids during the day (bike rides, walks during the lunch break)
Staying home with my baby for her first year

I was able to switch preschools for my 4 year old because my schedule was more flexible - she loves it and is so much happier. It is less hours which is better for her and I am also spending less, so win win. I was able to fix my LO's artic issues because I had the time and work on some behavior/3 year old type stuff. I spend more time with my extended family (socially distanced) so that has improved the family bond. My post pardem hair loss finally grew back - 3 years post, haha. Maybe because I am not constantly running around. Reconnected with some college friends. Not buying new clothes, not wearing makeupj, being able to put off buying a car.

Not having to fight with my twins, HS seniors, about why they cannot go to beach week.

So much less traffic in the beginning. It was fabulous for my commute. Although, now the crappy drivers are coming back slowly.

Went through the winter without an illness.

Spent more time outdoors and walking.

Siblings have gotten closer
Teen is more pleasant to be around without stresses of school
Finally gotten around to some house projects
Got in shape and forged some new friendships via a mostly local but virtual fitness accountability group
Feel a little more optimistic about finding a new telecommute friendly job (I previously felt handcuffed to the one I had)

Anonymous wrote:Dual essential worker family with young elementary kids and I had to think hard on this one but commute time is slightly shorter...that’s all I’ve got

Similar situation here - it’s been a long slog. One positive thing in addition to less traffic, is that I am thankful of how supportive of each other my DH and I have been. In previous years when we went through hard times, there was often a negative impact on our relationship. Perhaps we have grown / matured enough at this point to break that cycle?

It used to be less showering, no hairstyling, makeup 💄 or excessive hair color.