Bear with me here. I know we’ve had a crazy couple of weeks. It seemed like things just completely turned upside down for us in the matter of a day. COVID-19 hit us by storm. Businesses have closed. Schools have closed. My office has completely changed the way we operate. People are forced to work from home. Even restaurants are slowly closing. Beaches, parks, you name it. And let’s not even talk about the disappearing toilet paper! It’s hard to even think that there is a positive side to social distancing, It’s like we’re living in a twilight zone. Something we’ve never seen in our lifetimes.
It’s all so surreal.
I know how easy it is to get caught up in the hysteria about Coronavirus. It’s much easier to focus on all the negative surrounding us. I’ve had to spend way more on groceries than usual with the kids and my hubby being home. There’s more dishes and more cleaning up around the house (though the kids are pitching in). I’m sure my electricity bill will be climbing up. Around the world people are feeling isolated, depressed, and anxious. There’s job and income loss and lots of uncertainty.
Even with all of that being said, I’ve been forcing myself to think of the positives. Especially when it comes to social distancing. Yes, the extroverts of the world who are locked inside the house may not completely agree. But this all makes us introverts pretty happy.
Seriously, though, I’ve noticed – even in my own home – how our time away from everyone else has brought some great changes. Here’s my take on the positive side of social distancing, and the benefits we can all get from all of this.
Decrease the spread of COVID-19
Of course, this is the most obvious and the #1 reason why social distancing is so important. If everyone stays home, we’ll decrease the number of people who catch COVID-19, decrease the death rate, and get back to our normal lives sooner. We’re not just doing it to protect ourselves. It’s a community effort. We’re thinking about the most vulnerable amongst us and doing it for them.
Kids spending more time together
With 5 kids in our house, its hard to keep everyone at peace all the time. But, I’ve actually noticed my kids playing together, watching TV together – without their usual bickering (for the most part). I guess they figure if they’re stuck together for so long, they might as well relax and tolerate each other!
Old toys come to life
My kids are definitely the type to play with toys for about a week, then forget about them and move on to the next thing. Since they’ve been home with not much else to do, they’ve been pulling stuff out that they haven’t played with in a while! Scooters, bikes, hoola hoops, frisbees, Power wheels, science kits, board games. Even gifts they haven’t opened from last Christmas!
The kids get creative
I’ve seen all types of drawings, play doh creations, lego towers, pretend play, dress-up, etc. All types of ways that my kids have been stretching their imagination. I’m loving it all!
More responsibility for the kids (and less for me)
While the kids are home, they’re still doing their regular chores and have to clean up whatever messes they make. I’ll be honest, before this all happened, a lot of times, I would just clean up after them because they were too “busy” with schoolwork or activities. It was just easier for me to do it myself than to have them stay up later to finish things. Now that they’re home all day with not much else to do and nowhere to go, I don’t feel bad! It really takes the load off of me.
Besides cleaning up and chores, they’ve started making their own food and just doing more things on their own. They’ve also been stepping up to help take care of their baby brother. I’m loving the independence and life skills this time at home is teaching them!
No more morning rush
My husband is lucky enough to work from home right now (though he’s also now home with the 5 kids!). AndI’m still working in the office. But, instead of waking up at 5:30 every morning to prepare myself for the morning rush, I can get up at 6:45 and take my time. No kids to get ready, prepare breakfast for, and rush to school. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids. But the peace every morning has been a nice change.
If you’ve struggled before with getting out of the house on time, check out my post How To Get Out Of The House On Time. It shares more details about my Sunday, weekday, and morning routines. Plus you can download the worksheets and timelines that have been so useful to me – for FREE!
Less of a commute
I normally have 2 drop-offs in the morning and 2 pick-ups in the afternoon. While the kids are home, my commute is shorter. Which saves me time, stress, and money on gas. I’ve made it to work without sweating and feeling like I’ve already worked 1/2 a day.
More sleep
Tied into the 2 previous reasons – since I only have to prep for myself in the morning and have less of a commute, I can sleep in a little later and catch up on some much-needed rest.
No evening rush
My kids are starting “school” again this week after being off for spring break. They should be able get their schoolwork done during daytime, and not have to stress about homework late in the evenings. We also don’t have any after-school activities to rush off to, except my daughter’s virtual dance classes right at home. There are no clothes to iron, lunches or book bags to pack. Our evenings are lighter and calmer. I’ve been able to spend quality time with them, playing outside, eating dinner, and just relaxing. Lots more hugs, kisses, and just talking about any and everything. Instead of rushing from one thing to the next, and rushing them off to bed by 8pm like I’m used to doing.
New ways to do things
This goes for our household, and the world in general. Businesses, churches, restaurants, etc have all been practicing new ways to stay connected and to serve their customers. The kids are learning new ways to learn and use technology and will be pros at video conferencing by the time this is all over!
Pets are happy
Out of everyone, I think our dog is the most confused, but also probably the happiest. He isn’t used to having all the kids home all day. Nor the daily walks and playtime outside. He’s loving all the attention!
New standard of cleanliness
I’m hoping all the hand-washing and sanitizing that people are doing now will continue! This will help prevent a whole lot of other illnesses (like the flu every year!). My six-year-old is a finger-sucker. The other day, I was reminding her to wash her hands and keep them out of her mouth. She commented, “I love coronavirus because it makes me stop sucking my fingers!” At this point, I’ll take whatever works!
Parent involvement in school
Schools and closed and kids are being taught from home. I’m hoping this will force more parents to be aware of their kids’ assignments, to interact with teachers, and to just be more involved in their kids’ learning. We can’t leave it all up to the teachers. Now we see first-hand how hard their jobs really are!
More quality time together
Most of all, I’m just thankful for the quality time we’ve had together as a family. We’ve all been forced to just slow the heck down. We really have no other choice since just about everything’s closed. No outside distractions. No rushing to activities, birthday parties, or other events. I’ve seen more families out and about in our neighborhood, just sitting on their front porch or taking walks in the neighborhood. People I’ve never really seen before. It’s a welcome change for all of us. Just being able to enjoy each other and this home we’ve worked so hard to build.
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In the middle of all this craziness, I’m really trying to focus on the positive side of all of this. I know there has to be some good that’ll come out by the time this is all over. Knowing that my family is intact and safe at home brings me a whole lot of peace. I’m hoping this time will have a lasting effect on all of us, making us stronger and much better off in the end.
What positives have you noticed in your lifestyle with social distancing? Leave them in the comments below!
Plus, check out these other helpful COVID-19 posts:
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Protecting Your Kids
Why Are Schools Closed For COVID-19?
Keeping Kids Busy While Social Distancing
Maintaining Your Marriage While Social Distancing
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