We’ve all been trying to find ways to occupy our minds and our time in order to stay sane as we adjust to our new normal at least for now. Although I’m a homebody by nature, being home 24/7 in the middle of a pandemic has not been easy even for me! The struggle to juggle these kids, conference calls, e-learning, and self-care have been the hot topics all up and down my timelines. And if you’ve been laid off from work like me, talk about anxiety through the roof. I must say, I do find solace in the viral posts, memes, tweets, and videos that make me laugh uncontrollably, which has helped to take my mind off of this reality for a second.
But whew chile! Let’s not forget about these rambunctious kids keeping us on edge! I realize that our tiny people are also trying to adjust to this new normal in a time where they can’t fully grasp what’s going on. I get it, but they still get on my damn nerves. The first month of the shelter-in-place order I yelled and yelled for the kids to be quiet, stop running, pick up those toys. . . blah, blah, blah. Y’all know these kids weren’t listening. My expectations were way too high for kids who had to completely abandon their normal routines of school, recess, and friends without any notice.
I recently read Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. In one chapter, she talked about embracing the chaos as it relates to “perfect parenting.” Obviously, there no such thing, but what I took from the chapter is to not parent your children based on what you think parenting should look like but what it actually is. I expected my kids to sit quietly and not interrupt me while I video chat for an hour with my therapist. Of course, I was pissed when they didn’t. Then, I was reminded me that kids will play, make noise, and especially interrupt you no other time but when you’re on an important call. Now, this may be a realistic expectation for many parents. I tip my hat to you, and I’d love to know your secret. Seriously! It’s just not my reality no matter how much I want it to be. And that’s okay too.
So, let’s talk.
How are you handling the pandemic? Are you embracing the chaos? Or have you been struggling to keep it together like me?
Listen. I know we’re all during our best to navigate our way through these times. So, give yourself some grace and give your kids some too. Before you go stir crazy, if you haven’t already, get some fresh air by going for a walk or put on your favorite playlist and just vibe. Or maybe spend a few minutes journaling or practicing meditation. Most importantly, embrace the chaos! Wait. Let me clarify this because I thought embracing the chaos meant allowing the kids to rip and run until they tire themselves out while I closed my bedroom door and turned up the volume on my TV. My therapist, however, offered an alternative suggestion; join in the chaos and get silly right along with them! Play hide and seek, make some Tik Tok videos, or maybe take some silly pictures and videos using Snapchat filters. The world is depressing enough and we’re all just trying to survive quite literally, so find the fun where ever you can. Remember, we will come out on the other side of this way stronger so for now, just keep going!
Tiarra 💜
tiarratalks.com 