How I'm coping with Lockdown 3 and Home Schooling

I really don't know how I'm coping this time around! I know I'm on the edge each day and can't focus past that day.

When Bojo announced the South East was going into lockdown from Boxing Day, I felt dishearted but knew it had to happen.  It wasn't anything new, it meant we couldn't go to wonderful events like Wakehurst again any time soon but it also meant we were being safe.

I didn't want the schools to close though.  I know that is selfish of me and I'm not thinking of the teachers and support staff and everyone else, but I have one child who is extremely sociable and loves time with his friends.  I wanted him to interact with his peers, to see other people and be a 9-year-old running around in the fresh air.  Not spending day after day with his old fart of a mother.

The 4th of January was an inset day, and I'm glad it was as the schools were open.  Then by the end of that day, the schools were closed for all except for key workers, vulnerable children and those who had no means to learn from home.  Far more businesses decided their workers were key workers this time around and my son's school had over 50% of the children back in!

Don't get me wrong, this is not sour beans on those who sent their children in, both myself and my partner are classed as key workers but I decided I wanted my son home with me rather than at school if it wasn't safe to have the children in.  

I'm rather pleased he didn't go in for one day!  I think that would have been worse for him.

So we set up learning at home again, but this time around I am doing my "day" job around my son's schooling rather than the other way around, which is what happened in Lockdown 1.

Many people ask me how I'm managing it and to be honest, I have no idea, we are just taking it one day at a time.  I'm not looking past that day, I have no idea what is going on for the rest of the week, I am just focused on that one day and doing what I can in that day as you never know what curve ball may be thrown at you tomorrow!

The school is being brilliant, we are using Google classrooms and recorded videos from the teachers.  

My son and I have a schedule this time around too, he can do what he likes up until 9am, after that he needs to be washed, dressed, teeth cleaned and ready to learn at 9.30am.  In the meantime, I've completed 3 and a half hours of work.  We have 15-minute breaks in between subjects which allows me to do more work before we have lunch together then carry on into the afternoon and at 3pm we stop.  We submit his work for the day and he's off to play Fortnite while I finish my day job.

But that 3pm is my golden time.

I light an incense stick, make a cup of tea and just sit at my desk, quiet for 5 minutes while my child shouts in the other room at the TV.  I don't care.  I know that some form of learning has been completed for the day, I have 2 hours of uninterrupted work before dinner and we made it.

Random bits of work, cleaning and boring adult stuff all get done in the evening and by 9pm I'm curled up on my chair just staring at the TV usually watching something awful because I can't be arsed to look or reach out for the remote.

We work hard for 5 days so on Saturdays it's a free day, do what you want, when you want, how you want day.  It's not like we're going out out.

Take the small wins and find the positives in each day.  Others find solace in writing a journal or finding things to do with the children to get away from schooling at home.

This too will end so don't beat yourself up, stay off the news and no doom scrolling.

Stay Safe x

My 2021 Meme