Pandemic Parenting

Before my first son was born, I bought books, took classes, and read a lot of online resources. As someone who went to school to be a lawyer, I am most comfortable when I've done adequate research. So the fact that there is no answers right now, drives me CRAZY. There literally is no clear answers on anything because we are in uncharted territory. There are no long term studies on anything. And when there is information it is incredibly biased by the source's agenda. Are kids who have been exposed to the virus going to have any health complications later in life? Are kids who have been vaccinated going to? Will kids who have stayed isolated for 2 years have problems later on socially and emotionally? Are we taking too big of a risk sending our kids to school? WHO KNOWS??

This week, I was especially stressed sending my kids back to school during a surge, but I couldn't come up with a better option. (FYI anyone wondering, we had a great first half of the year and only missed one day of school for a vacation!) So, I sent my kids. And really, I did not take the risk vaccinating them with a new vaccine just to keep them home. But I still felt unsure. As I was feeling sorry for myself because I'm "so over" parenting being extra hard, I was thinking this is the worst time to be a parent. But of course, I immediately realized that is not true at all. Pretty sure I wouldn't have lasted more than a day on the Oregon trail.

So, what are we to do? Just keep on, keeping on. Do what you think is best for your kids, and let your neighbor do what they think is best. Pretty sure mothers in the past didn't survive the hard times by turning on each other. It's hard for everyone no matter how they are doing it. Make sure you are looking out for yourself too. The Dragon Mama Self Care Check In is a great place to start.

Happy New Year

Dragon Mama