This past week has been nothing short of surreal. Rob and I joked over the weekend about how just a few short weeks ago we came back from 10X GrowthCon fired up and ready to take on 2020 and now we’re talking about government-wide shutdowns and quarantines. It doesn’t feel like real life, but it is and we must deal with it. We absolutely will not let this get us down, but we have had to shift our priorities a bit, as I’m sure most Americans have had to do as well.
On Monday, Varsity Cheer announced that the 2020 D2 Summit (the Super Bowl of cheer) that was to take place in Disney World in May is postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus. Varsity Cheer absolutely made the right move; it was the right thing to do for everyone’s health and safety.
The postponement of cheer on Monday morning was the moment I realized we are living in a whole new world and we must adapt. Before this (in the varsity cheer world) pushing back a competition’s date would be unheard of. This might not be what people want to hear, especially right now, but our cheerleaders compete rain, shine or snow and in sickness and in health. In the cheer world, you compete unless you can’t stand. The decision made by the Varsity Cheer organization was best for everyone. Still, it left me brokenhearted for my daughter who practices tirelessly for competitions and the D2 Summit. I was also feeling the bigger impact, that my kids have to deal with the uncertainty and quality of life changes that come with fighting a pandemic at this point in their very young lives.
I grew up in the “golden age” of childhood, the 80s. We were kids and we got to act like it, worry and fancy free. We spit in our hands and shook our friend’s hands to symbolize a promise that would be kept. We went to school and played outside and spent time with our friends without a worry in the world. Viruses, quarantines to stay healthy and social distancing were not on our radar. Times were just simpler. Back then, kids could be kids without the worry of how viruses spread to others or our grandparents that we loved dearly.
It’s been difficult as a parent to raise my two youngest. Gianna and Alexis are only 10 years apart but they seem to be so much more. Alexis didn’t get a cell phone until she was in 8th grade. She really didn’t have much exposure to electronics besides TV. I feel like my youngest two grew up with electronics surrounding them. We have been faced with navigating, monitoring and trying to figure out how technology affects children. The barrage of information that as parents we are overwhelmed with and how to control that information that our children can easily see and hear. And now potentially deadly viruses that essentially close the country down and threaten to harm those that are most precious to us and our children. Our kids have more responsibility and worry than any other generation before them and I, for one, don’t particularly like it.
My son asked me last week “Mom, what happened the last time there was a virus like this?” I told him “Bud, this has never happened in my lifetime.” H1N1 was similar but schools and businesses did not close and we were free to move about the country as if nothing was happening. We are living in unprecedented times. We don’t know what lies ahead in the coming weeks or even how the coronavirus will affect the economy. I hope and pray this situation passes quickly. As I told my children, we will weather this storm as the generations before us have during times of war, recessions and pandemics in the pre-globalized world.
I’m already starting to see some good things come out of this worldwide crisis. We get to spend some quality time with our kids which is rare these days with our chaotic schedules. We get to slow down and take a break from the daily grind. There will be time to play outside which my kids rarely get to do because of their sports commitments. I started making my kids take daily walks. We see the neighbors and wave and smile. People are on their porches and working in their yards. When life is “normal” I don’t even see that on the weekends, because “we’re busy”.
While there’ll be arguments and boredom and many Google searches for games and things to do with your kids during quarantine soon, I’m sure there’ll be lots of laughs and silliness, too! Gianna tried (unsuccessfully) to teach me a Tik Tok dance and we laughed hysterically. Frank mooned us on one of our walks, while completely inappropriate, we couldn’t help but laugh together. I’m trying to find humor where I can and laugh as often as possible and encouraging them to do the same. Laughter is a very good thing during stressful times.
I know in our family we’ve reevaluated what’s really important and that’s each other. Maybe you’ve already thought this yourself. Family is more important than materialistic things, vacations, kid’s sports, school, jobs and even money. We have each other and that’s what really truly matters at the end of the day.
I also think there’s a very valuable lesson in this for our children. Modern parenting makes children feel like the “world revolves around them” (check out this blog post!) and this forces them to think about others. My kids were complaining about “boredom” and I point-blank told them “I don’t want to hear it, the world is dealing with a crisis right now that is significantly more far-reaching than your boredom”.
Our kids will get to see the resilience of this kick-ass country we live in. People are already offering to help others affected by the coronavirus quarantine with babysitting, food and the elderly. Our children will get to see the United States prosper after times of uncertainty and I firmly believe in my heart and soul that we will. I see the type of patriotism I haven’t seen since 9/11. Something my youngest two haven’t witnessed in their short lifetimes.
Being heartbroken or disappointed about anything isn’t something anyone wants. Especially something that is completely out of our control like a virus. There are many points in our lives where sacrifices need to be made for someone and in this case we need to make them for a much bigger purpose. I am certain this will lead us all to grow as individuals, a country and one large world community. This will force us all to focus on what’s really important in life. It will build character and teach us how to overcome sadness, fear and the unknown. I know we will come out on the other side of this less selfish and definitely stronger.
I wish you all happiness, strength and health.
