This week I'm going to talk about me. And you. But mostly me.
I am feeling... wow, hard to put into words. We have reached what feels like the end of Lockdown, except it's not the end of lockdown. Shops have started to open, my boys have gone back to nursery (more on this later) and husband has now been going into his work albeit it for shorter sessions. Life has started to return to some kind of normal, but there are reminders everywhere that things aren't normal. And I'm not quite sure how I feel about it all. A part of me is excited that everything is opening up and we are more free to travel and shop. But a bigger part of me is still worried that we haven't actually got a vaccine for Covid-19, it is still there and people are acting like everything is fine!
We toyed over the decision to put the boys back into nursery for a long time. It was their first day back on Tuesday this week. They had a settle session at the end of last week but this week they are back to their usual hours. There were several factors as to why we decided to send them back:
Firstly, Toddler was missing his friends and the interactions with children his own age. As lucky as he is to have a younger brother, he just doesn't play in the same way as him yet. Baby had just got settled at nursery when lockdown happened so it was such a shame he then couldn't go anymore.
Secondly, as my husband is a teacher, he was and is still expected to work from home and now he is on a rota to go back into school. This would mean the childcare would fall back to me. As much as I love them, being with both boys all day, every day is really hard- physically and mentally. Especially as we still can't really go anywhere (I never thought I would miss soft play areas, but I do!) or see family. I am still running a small business, it would be virtually impossible to get anything done with the boys being at home if it was just me 24/7 so I would have had to close again. I don't want to do this, I have put so much time and effort into my business. I was devastated to have to close in March after just opening. Alongside that come September, I am also going back to university (woo!). We would certainly need childcare then, especially as we still wouldn't be able to depend on family. As far as we know Hubby is going to be back full time. So sending them now or then, when looking at the risk, the same low risk applies and the benefits were greater. This way they have more time to play and settle back in.
Thirdly, we absolutely love their nursery. They only moved to this nursery at the beginning of the year but they both loved it from the get go. They have put in lots of new procedures which makes us trust that they will be as safe as they can be when going there. We know we are fortunate to be able to be in this situation.
This is our situation and a decision we made after looking at all the risk factors. And it's the best choice for us as a family.
But what this does mean is for the first time in 12.. 13 weeks? the house is now quiet. Hubby and I are able to start AND FINISH a whole conversation and we can get our heads down and work without being disturbed. But being a parent isn't as simple as that is it. As much as I enjoy the quiet now and the fact I can get things done all in one go, I miss them!
It's similar to the feeling you get when you put the children to bed at night... and then sit on your phone looking at photos of them.
Parenting is a catch-22.
Last Friday, I asked for feedback on my small business. Now that I do have slightly more time on my hands, I want to focus more on my small business and how to make it work. I introduced Video Stories this week to my Instagram and I have some positive feedback about those. So watch this space for more! Ever keen to learn, I have been joining webinars on the various topics such as the psychology of social media, the habits of growth mindset and jumping on the bandwagon of SEO. But they all come back to the fundamental feeling that Social Media is just that: SOCIAL. So I want to get to know my readers, my followers, the people who "like" my posts. My small business has always been about lifting up and supporting parents. The gifts I sell are part of this idea. So I would love to hear from YOU.
I started putting together resources for parents a long time back- there is even a "Resources" tab on my website. But with everything going on, I couldn't devote any real time in developing this idea. But now I hope to focus and deep dig into what would be useful to have on the website as a resource for parents- first time or many times. So again, let me know, if you are a parent, what would you like to see on there? If you are expecting, what resources and information would be most suitable for you?
I am working on a few things at the moment in the background, alot of which I also share on my Instagram (particularly my Stories!) but I realise without the support of YOU none of this really matters.
So let's connect. Share your thoughts on the lock down with me, have you sent your children back to school/nursery? What resources would be most helpful to you as a parent?
Thank you.
Best Wishes,
Jen
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