Home Schooling + Covid = !@*%$

    Since covid started life has changed for everyone, in not so great ways. 

    The first thing that really hit hard for me, was school. Everything was shut down. The thought that if we shut down for a while we would be able to go back to normal. Very early on we were all slapped in the face, with the reality that we wouldn't be going to back to any kind of normal for a long time. So for the first month I had hope, I hoped that they would relax and my kids could go back to school. That hope was crushed by Covid-19. It took all that hope, and changed it into frustration.  Mom and the kids took turns crying. 

    Covid did more than scare everyone, it took some much needed mental health from everyone. Things went from a routine that we knew well, to random crap that had to be done through out the day. School whet from being fun and sociable, to sitting at the kitchen table fighting to just get through one task. School changed from enjoying it and mom having self time, to mom and the kids having no patience for each other. When we did finally stop school for the day we all retreated to our own rooms to regain some form of sanity. Eventually about a month before distance learning ended in 2020 we quit. Survival instinct kicked in, so we quit to save what we had left of our sanity. Thankfully it was almost summer at this point, so going outside became how we survived. Getting the sprinkler out while mom tanned in the warm sun, saved us from ourselves. When summer came for real, and we could get out and talk to people it was life saving. Camping was the best vacation we had ever had. To finally be out of the house, playing, getting much need exercise. It was all a breath of fresh air. When summer ended and school started it felt so good. Our routine came back, we almost felt normal. I never thought school would be so needed, but when they went back and talked to their friends it was magic. The kids temper and general disposition got way better. Thankfully so did moms ;) 

    So many got very concerned about Covid and you should be. But we seem to have forgotten about mental health. To be fair it was on the back burner before all this started, it should be in the for front

                                                                                                                 

. Covid showed me just how important it is to make sure your family's mental health is good. I started watching how my kids played together. I payed more attention to how they were feeling, and asked on a regular basis how they felt about the entire situation. For example, one night we were getting ready as usual or so I thought. Until suddenly my then 5 year old son started crying, because he thought he would never get to go back to school again. This broke my heart, he really thought that school was over completely. It was at the is point that I realized I had been ignoring part of my job as a parent. I failed to sit them all down and talk about the situation as it was happening. To make sure they were understanding what was happening. I failed to make sure that they knew they could come and talk to me. If they were sad or simply had questions. I also realized that to take care of yourself so you can take care of your kids, is  VERY VERY true! I intern started talking better care of myself to better help them work through school at home. It worked because guess what!? With my help my 11 year old got a better mark in math, working at home and with mom. I felt like a winner that day!

Mental health is something we NEED to pay more attention to. Not yesterday but TODAY and every other day after this. So the answer to the question in the title? Home School + Covid = !@*%$........what else would it be!  Change your perspective, and maybe just maybe it can be fun!  

How did Distance Learning work for your family? Did you home school before Covid?  Tell me what worked for you in the comments!!