Last month I wrote a post about the difficult choices parents have had to make during this pandemic. As Parents, we are faced with an entirely new set of decisions that we couldn't have imagined a year ago. This summer has been filled with dread over deciding how much our children interact with each other or even with family members.
In just a few weeks parents across the country are going to be faced with another difficult decision - whether or not to send their kids to school. It's a tough choice - one with no real right or wrong answer. One that is based on individual circumstances. There is no one size fits all.
This decision feels heavier than any other decision I have made as a parent, and I think I figured out why:
We are on our own.
There is no one we can turn to for answers. No sage advice from someone who has already been there/done that.
In the entire time I have been a parent (almost 18 years,) I have never had to make such an important decision with no guidance. Usually, I could turn to my mom, other mothers, or experts for help.
My mom raised seven children and I've come to her for a lot of advice over the years, but she has never been in a situation like this one. My friends are in the same boat with me - they have no idea what to do as well. Some have even called me to seek advice, and I wish I could give it. Doctors and scientists have given us a lot of information during this time and I am grateful for them, but even the experts seem unable to give much guidance on this particular dilemma.
We are on our own.
For as difficult as this is, we are the lucky ones. The ones who have a choice. Some parents don't. They need schools to reopen so they can go to work. There are parents who can't afford daycare; who don't have family around to help. These parents are stuck in a hard place. Yes - schools are a place of learning, not daycares, but the reality of how our society works cannot be ignored. The needs of these parents cannot be ignored.
We are on our own, but we don't have to be!
We can come together as parents, as a community, as a country, and find solutions. We need to support our students, schools, and teachers. We need to find those parents in a hard place and find ways to help. We need some quick wits, open hearts, and out of the box thinking.
We can:
Reach out to other parents - find out how they are doing and let them know they are not alone.
Reach out to teachers - find out what they need from us.
Reach out to our leaders - demand they help with guidelines, funding, and solutions.
It's going to take all of us to do this. In this time of isolation, we need each other more than ever.
Let's change it from "we are on our own" to "we are in this together!"
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