By Pam
When I think about how the lockdown has affected me and my family, I realise that our emotions and feelings have ricocheted from one extreme to another over the last few weeks. When the announcement was made to close schools and I was told that that included my setting as a childminder - I was in total shock. This included the financial element - the realisation that this virus was going to directly my livelihood - but also the thought of not seeing the children - I knew I was going to miss them terribly. The closure of schools also had a direct impact on my family too- my youngest daughter should have been sitting her A levels this summer and had been studying very hard to gain the results she craved. To suddenly be told she was finishing her school life with very little notice and would not be sitting her exams caused quite a bit of distress at the time - she has now got used to it but not quite got used to the fact that she has turned 18 and now can’t go out with her friends !!
Another aspect that has caused us distress is our aging parents. My mother has Alzheimer’s, can not be left on her own and is being cared for by my father. I know that being self isolated has had a major impact on them - particularly for my dad. We have tried to get around this a little by arranging an evening Skype call as a family and also by doing their shopping and having a quick chat over the garden gate when we drop it off!.
Having said all this - there have been many positives that have happened as a result of the Coronavirus. The feeling of community from our neighbours, everyone helping each other. Our wider family have found new ways to communicate and are probably communicating more frequently!
Our household have come up with ways to have fun. We are currently planning a ‘come dine with me ‘ where we all choose a theme and cook, serve and more importantly clear up afterwards!
A massive plus for me personally is having TIME. It has made me realise that I don’t ever have time to do the things that I like doing and have spent more time doing some of these without feeling guilty! I had my birthday during the first weeks of lockdown and my husband bought me a mini greenhouse. I have planted lots of seeds and have really enjoyed having the time to do it!