So there is not much to write about today. Yes, we are in another lockdown in the UK. Head spinning change of plans abound. Homeschool fun, round 2 is upon us. Apologies to my children and their teachers for the standard of teaching that they are going to be subjected to.
However, it is different this time. This may not be across the board but with the school my children attend the correspondence appears to have a different tone this time. My impression from the correspondence was that this time round, homeschooling is compulsory. In addition, there is an expected number of tasks that need to be completed each day in readiness for the next batch being uploaded for the following day.
Previously the work for the week was uploaded and we were able to spread it out over the week. The majority of the time this meant completing, on average, two tasks a day. When the schools were closed previously there seemed to be less pressure. It was about doing what worked best for your family and maintaining the wellbeing of yourself and your child which was great, it certainly took the pressure off.
As parents we are under enough pressure as it is just to ensure the survival of our offspring daily. We do our best every day, we show up and keep trying. This was enough.
I am lucky because I do not have the same commitments as other parents. The only sacrifice I have to make to fulfil the expectations of the school is the housework. The only impact is that I start doing the household jobs later in the day. To be honest, its a relief to have an excuse to delay some of these tasks.
I can only imagine the turmoil that other parents are battling. I am talking about the parents who are working from home with deadlines to meet. Deadlines to meet this month that are not flexible. They are fixed points in time with consequences if they are not met.
Professionally I worked as an assistant within the conveyancing sector of law. Conveyancing for anyone who does not know is what the legal process is called for buying or selling a house. So when you have bought the house and moved in there are certain administrative tasks that your conveyancer has a limited amount of time to do such as submitting a Stamp Duty Land Tax Return. If the deadline for this form is missed for any reason then penalty charges could become payable. I imagine the same would be true for people working within any profession that may have similar deadline requirements.
In my opinion it is an impossible situation for you to be in. I cannot see anyway that anyone could juggle both their profession and their child’s education without causing a huge amount of stress which in turn, can lead to health issues.
Please, please, do not be too hard on yourselves. Do not berate yourselves because you do not feel you have done enough. Ignore those posts from people that seem to show that they have got the balance right so it appears that all of their balls are in the air. We all have different strengths. Yes their child may be completing all of the work that is set, they may be enjoying time as a family making memories and they are meeting all of their deadlines at work. That may well be true initially. What I often wonder is whether or not the life portrayed on social media is both achievable and, more importantly, sustainable on a long term basis.
That has to be uppermost consideration. Is this sustainable long term because one thing is clear, we still have a long road ahead and I cannot see the benefit in pushing yourself to breaking point as a result of unrealistic standards and expectations set by other people, who are in different circumstances to you. If I am wrong and it is a sustainable way of life can you please send me a copy of the cheat sheet.
I am two days in and, so far, the toilet cleaning threat has not been needed. To be honest, that one backfired on me last time so I need to think of a new consequence but for now my mind is blank.
I was gutted on Monday as I am sure most people were. I had big plans for Tuesday. I was going to pull my big girl pants up and tackle the big shop by myself. Well, kind of, I was hoping my mum was going to be able to accompany me but that’s irrelevant now. Alas, it was not to be, so it was baked beans on toast for tea after a day of hard graft for the children. I thought that may count as the first of many fails that are inevitably on the way but I have been informed that, in fact, beans on toast is considered to be the Tea of Kings.
It is my eldest’s birthday next week. The children in this household have definitely drawn the short straws when it comes to their birthdays. Both of them will have had to endure birthdays in lockdown. Last time it was in April so at least it was warm enough that family could stand at the end of the drive and wave or something. This time it is winter and bitterly cold. How can I make it a memorable experience in a positive way? Any ideas?
This year I was hoping to be able to spend more time building my other business to make up for lost time in 2020. This plan will now be on hold for the next few months. I know myself well enough to know that I could not give both my business or my children the time and attention required. I would prefer to focus on one or the other and I am fortunate to be in the position that I can put the business element to one side as and when needed.
Next week is going to be the real test. At the moment the children and I have a false sense of security. Daddy is coming home from work every evening this week. At the moment I know that another adult will be entering the house. Not only will there be another adult in the house but it is an adult who is equally responsible for the children as I am.
Our marriage is like a grown up version of tag. As soon as he walks through that door…”TAG…Your it…their your children now” as I run away to hide cackling. He is a key worker and will be lodging away with work next week. No one to play Tag with next week. That is going to be the real test. I’m sure it will be fine.
There will be tears, there will be lots of confusion and tantrums mainly from me as I will have to cook. He won’t be here to send to the chippy. How unfair is that? I am joking obviously or am I? We do tend to get takeaway a lot even during normal times. I am pretty lazy when it comes to cooking.
If all else fails there is always wine, right?
Mumma Bear Roars 