I’ve yelled a lot this week. The kid is clingy, newly walking, growing and possibly teething. Who knows. At this point, all I know is I’m not proud of how I’ve handled it.
I follow Big Little Feelings on Instagram. I have a script in my head to avoid the yelling. This week I’ve used the script for apologizing to my son more than anything. (BTW, go follow these mamas and experts, they are VERY helpful!)
I love him. I feel incredibly grateful for my sweet, goofy, chatty peanut. I think it’s amazing that he’s gone from a little potato to a full-on walking human since we’ve been home together. I feel so lucky to have witnessed it all.
That said, I really miss daycare. I miss having a complete thought without the musical styling of Elmo Spotify paired with whatever musical toy the kid turned on at the same time. I miss working without turning around to find my son on top of a table. I used to really enjoy finishing a cup of coffee. These days, I always have coffee left in my cup.
Whether you have childcare, work in or out of the house or how many kiddos you have or your children’s ages, we are all struggling right now. We’re all living with major COVID Burnout.
This is all Really. Freaking. Hard.
Parents sending kids to school have an ounce of fear every day. Will we be exposed? Will we get sick? Will we have to quarantine? Will I have to work and teach?
Parents whose kids are virtual learning have to balance their needs with their kids education. They wonder if their child can really learn through the computer. They’re monitoring schoolwork, performing IT management and providing 7,000 meals a day.
Parents with littles might be holding their breath as their newbies head to daycare. Will that little immune system hold up? Will we be able to take care of them if we get sick? Or maybe they’re quarantining, missing their support system.
Moms, dads.- this is hard. Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I stand by what I’ve learned through this, but the burnout leaves me struggling to follow my own advice. It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating. There aren’t any right decisions. Every day you get through is a good day. And if you’re, like me, apologizing to your children more than you’d like. Well, they’re learning that we all have hard times and the best way to get through is love and honesty.
If you have advice, please drop a comment!!! This COVID burnout is probably not going anywhere…