Day 22 – a new morn
Dear fellow captives,
As the sun rises gently on this new morn, it is the day of reckoning. The day we glimpse into our future lives post lockdown. When we look ahead to the day we emerge (not like beautiful butterflies from the chrysalis, but in in the case of my bubble, like dirty, hairy, smelly moles who rise from being underground for four weeks, blinking in the sunlight as others step back in horror at what is dragging itself out of the depths), and ceremonially pop our bubble like the nasty festering pimple it was, we will look around and wonder really how different it is? For some, I reckon not much, as I have been teasing my father who continues to deny he is in the at-risk community by taking ten years off his age. Numbers don’t lie right! For others a little different and, importantly, a meaningful little different. We might be able to leave the house and go to work, or not? That will only work for many of us if the kids are back at school and we are no longer supposed to be home-school-wonder-parents.
You see that is what the government is setting us up to be at present (even though the government declares that thought to be fake news and we really don’t have to be wonder parents). No one would ever want me to be a teacher or to home school any children. It is unrealistic and a harmful suggestion that I could ever fill that role.
I get it. Some can do it. But I only truly have one home-school-wonder-parent friend and I think I might de-friend her. You see she has four, yes four kids (what was she thinking – or maybe not thinking, but doing), and she is posting daily updates of the creative pursuits that she and her horde are undertaking. Marvellous pieces of art burst out of her bubble daily and pop into my cloud, highlighting my inadequacies. Even her teenagers seem to join in the creative, artistic, educational or adventure pursuits of the day – unheard of. She must bribe them to take part but that wouldn’t even work for me with at or creativity because you don’t put scissors in the hands of our teenagers and expect there not to be problems. So, what to do? Friend or de-friend? I thought about taking votes from you, dear readers, but best I solve this one myself.
The problem is home-school-wonder-parent is sooooo nice you can’t hate her, and she is so lovely to my kids I can’t de-friend her. I have to put up with the show-off wonder-parent vibe and just own my style of anti-Christ parenting. The upside of the continuing friends status is that when she sends me her daily photos I look hard into her eyes and she does look shattered and also that a part of her soul has died each and every day of lockdown.
I keep saying in these blogs that I must stick to the point. However I am not sure I had a point here. If I did it is entirely lost to me. So let me just say, look to the future with just a touch of more freedom but if it takes away from me the expectation that I am or should be some home-school-wonder-parent, I will be delighted, relieved and most grateful. If I can go into the office from time to time for a change of work scenery all the better. If we can go further a-field for walks and bike rides, great. Today we will find out that life will get just that little bit better soon. Hooray!
Kia kaha, my lovelies, and adieu. Stay safe and remember it can only get better and soon!
The Silky Otter – day 21