It’s been one year since schools in my country closed their doors as a result of Covid-19. Since then, I am sure most of us appreciate the value of teachers and what they do.
Additionally, we closed our borders and went through a lockdown period with only essential services remaining open. As a result, adjustments were made for life to continue.
In this article, we are going to look at the importance of a balanced family and work lifestyle for parents and children as we continue to live through this period.
Vacation
In December 2019, my family and I enjoyed a beautiful Christmas with my mom in New York. We got a little snow, and the children had fun.
After a fantastic vacation, I was looking forward to a new year, as we all do in December. I remembered getting news feeds in December about a severe virus, but I didn’t think anything of it.
January started great for my business, the family was fine, and my daughter was looking forward to her big school exam in April.
Hot Topic
There was Carnival in February, which is a big annual event in Trinidad and Tobago. For me, it’s usually a weekend of total rest, while for others, it’s the biggest party on earth.
During the build-up to Carnival, the virus was becoming a hot topic internationally. There were concerns about whether or not we should go ahead with Carnival as the number of infections started to grow worldwide.
There were even calls for the authorities to stop Carnival, but it went on nonetheless.
Lockdown
In March, we started to feel the effects of the virus in Trinidad and Tobago, and it was no longer a news feed about other countries because it was here in ours. On March 13th, our schools closed, initially for two weeks, but extended when the case numbers began to rise.
It re-opened for a little while for the students who had to do major exams, and then they had to close again. Since schools were closed in March 2020, children and their parents made adjustments for learning to continue; it was now online.
Virtual Life
Online schooling from home started, some handled it well because of their past experiences while others struggled. Teachers, students, and parents had to go through a quick learning curve and test in flight.
Apart from the technological struggles, there was another hurdle. Parents had to do a balancing act at home with their children doing online schooling, while they worked online from home.
Of course, the demand for computers, tablets, and printers went up, just like hand sanitizer and toilet paper.
Work and School Space
Parents were also faced with another challenge and that was space in the home. Now they had to find a way to organize the home into school and office, without using their bedroom as a classroom or office.
As a result, they had to set up designated spots for everybody to function – their children and themselves. By now, most if not all of you would have equipped your workspaces at home for online schooling and for work.
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Time Challenge
I often wondered how single parents were coping with these responsibilities. Last week, I shared my thoughts with a colleague, and she told me about a single parent who had to get up very early to get her child dressed to travel to her mom’s home, which was miles away.
Every morning this parent must get this done and get to work by 8 am. It’s very hard on nuclear families, far less for single parents; even if you are working full time from home, it can be challenging, especially if you have more than one child and they are very active.
Managing Time
Unfortunately, there is a demand for our time, and we are feeling pressured because of work and the parental responsibilities of home.
Most people working from home stated that they are working longer hours, which leaves them with less time for the children. We all need some relaxation time; we need to find time for ourselves and our family; yes, work is essential, but so is our quality of life and the time spent with our family members.
Living a balanced family and work lifestyle is one way for us to manage the increased level of stress in our lives today.
Screen Time Overdose
When it comes to screen time, we have had an overdose over the last year. School and work are on screens, and afterward, you may want to kick back and relax on your sofa and watch another screen; your TV.
Our eyes and our children’s eyes are other areas of concern as we continue to work through this period, and there may be side effects from this in the future, so we need to take precautions now.
Balanced Family and Work Lifestyle
After a long week online, what can we do with our family on the weekend? We most definitely need some relaxation with our family.
Guys, it’s vital for us to spend time with our family, especially if we have children; remember, they can’t play with their friends in person, so they depend on us to keep them occupied.
Please, not the movies, not another screen. We can do simple things with them like going to the beach, hiking, do home barbecues in your yard, take them out to dinner, make dinner at home, family game nights, etc.
Conclusion
As parents, it’s up to us to help our children through these times as we seek to live a balanced family and work lifestyle. We need to find unique ways to live through this period.
As I leave you for now, please ponder on the following words: “This may be the best time for us to bring our family closer together”. Think about it; it is an opportunity. Take care and keep safe.
