I am listening to the “plan” for school in the fall and I keep reminding myself of grace. Grace for everyone working on it and grace for all the teachers and grace for all the parents and grace for all the students.
But it still is challenging.
Honestly, the go to school option doesn’t have the foundation that it used to have – it feels like the foundation is fluid and can change weekly. And I want my kids to have their friends and normal and yet, it still feels chaotic, different.
So it makes me wonder about doing the hard things and what to do and how to give my kids stability in a very chaotic world.
And then I realized – I can’t create stability. I can’t ensure that it will be easy. I can’t promise it will be normal.
Instead, I can be there.
I can be present.
I can be strong.
I can make the best choice possible.
I can love them.
I can listen.
I can talk with them about this chaos.
I can be there.
Because the truth is this pandemic has shattered the foundation of normal. And if I try to recreate a foundation that is being restructured then I will just end up anxiety ridden and worried.
We won’t know the right answer.
We just do our best.
And one other thing – parents always make the best decision for their family. If a family sends a child to school – great. If a family doesn’t – great. I hear way too much name calling and labeling about the decisions. Instead, just love the other family.
Love them deeply.
Respect their decision.
Be kind.
And breathe, knowing time will pass and this will become a chapter in our stories. Our kids are strong, you are strong, we are strong. It’s the moments, the being there.
Present in the moment that is today.
We will get through.
-Rachel
#findingjoy
PS….this year our family decided to homeschool our younger kids. Our one high schooler is doing online homeschool classes and yet another decided to to go to hybrid public school. Every family is different. Love each other, respect their stories. We are all trying.
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We are also homeschooling the two youngest and our Jr High student is only there half a day the rest of the day is on the computer.
Thank you for sharing this it is totally what we need right now.
We are going with whatever the school district is doing for 3 of our kids, and for our senior, we’re doing a fully online homeschooling program. Different for everyone!