Today at lunch time I told my kids I wanted to help them fill out COVID-19 time capsules. (Like this one.) I’d been wanting to do this for months, and now seemed as good a time as any. We’re still here; COVID-19 is still here.
I explained to them that time capsules are packets of information telling what their lives were like during these unique times, and that they would probably appreciate looking back at them years from now.
Both my 7 y.o. daughter (I) and 10 y.o. son (D) essentially said, “No, thanks.”
(Me): “Are you sure? You might want to be able to remember back on this weird time and what it was like. It will be over one day.”
(Them): “No… I don’t really want to think about what life is like right now.”
This was completely reasonable, and I had to respect their choice.
My 12 y.o. daughter (C) wasn’t interested, either, but was willing to be the experimental “guinea pig” and report back to her siblings. I promised to actually do the work of writing down her answers, and just let her respond orally.
As soon as we sat down in her room to get started, C gave a big yawn – no offense meant to me, but this just wasn’t her cup of tea.
She immediately asked if we could do just one page a day.
I countered by saying no, but we could definitely break it up into several days. We settled on this compromise, and got to work.
My favorite response from her so far (from “Words to Describe How I Feel”) was her made-up word of kerplunctious (no idea how to spell this!). She immediately clarified for me: “That means meh or blobby.” Other words she offered up in this category included weird, angry, excited, nervous, and happy.
In terms of what she’s learned the most from this experience (so far):
“Some things that you take for granted may look even better when times are bad.”
So true. She appreciates our family, our house, our neighborhood, and the lake we’re lucky enough to live by.
Now that I’m done interrogating her, C is back to simply getting through the day, which for her means watching YouTube videos of people playing Roblox, playing with new friends on Minecraft, and staying cozy in her room.
While these aren’t ideal ways to spend the summer, I’m glad she’s safe, healthy, and knows how to take care of herself during challenging times.
This is a marathon. She needs to pace herself.
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