All the plans I thought we had this have completely changed. When COVID-19 hit, I honestly thought things would be back to normal within a month or so. I thought surely by May we would have some sort of normal back in our lives. I could not have been more wrong.
It is my personality; I like to have a well-thought out plan for summer and assumed it would go that way. I always plan in advance and crumble under stress.
Every day it seems like something is cancelled, delayed, or a decision will be made at a further point in time. For myself this is extremely difficult. To lose complete control over a situation like this has really forced me to change my way of thinking.
Originally I had my twins, who will be four years old in June, signed up for a long list of day camps. One by one, they are cancelling. So I sit here wondering: Should I put them in something else, or let them continue to stay home? I do not think anyone really has an answer, and I bet everyone’s answer would be different.
One part of me wants my twins to be immersed in as many camps as possible because they have speech and developmental delays. They start pre-k in the fall, and my fear is that they will not be ready.
The other part of me wonders how camps are going to keep children safe and healthy. What steps are they taking, and how will this affect my children? I have two younger sons at home, so if my twins went to camp and somehow became ill, how would that affect my family? Picking the best option has really been a struggle for me, because my twins thrive on interaction outside of the home.
I live in a neighborhood with a community pool. They have delayed the opening of it until almost July. I feel as if every decision this summer is really a gamble, and someone is going to be upset either way. If they had opened earlier, people would be concerned about the amount of people. But since they delayed, people are upset it is delayed that long. Some have mentioned COVID-19 and the heat, but it is a decision that only one individual can make on what is best for him or her. I just hope as a parent I make the right one for my children. Because truthfully, it is also hard to have all my children home 100 percent of the time.
In July I hope our options will increase but not at the risk of an increase in COVID positives. For now, we are just sticking to the therapies and maybe a gym class if the business is taking appropriate measures. My twins just started back to speech and occupational therapy and thankfully their therapies get them out of the house just long enough for it to help. We set up a couple of a playdates for the first time since this pandemic started. Honestly it was a weird feeling. I think to myself how something as simple as playdate you can easily take for granted.
I go through periods of “forgetting” we are in a pandemic, and I think that is the hardest part. At this point, it feels almost like being home has become our new normal and going out anywhere is not. I do not feel like there is a clear-cut answer on how to handle this summer. I’ve learned that we can not predict what is going to happen, so I’m just sticking with my instincts.
Are you struggling with a decision for summer plans? Share what you’ve decided and how you came to that conclusion in the comments below.
