A Rollercoaster World of Broken Champagne Glasses and Love – Lock down with Kids
‘Apparently champagne glasses are not an essential good’, I said to my Bestie via video call, after explaining to her how I had managed to break all our glasses in one fell swoop while trying to clean up, work and take care of the kids, all at the same time. We laughed. Not because we believe that this particular good should be seen as essential, but rather because we know, deep down inside, that we will drink the champagne (or in our case, sparkling wine) straight out of a paper cup, if need be. Truth be told, whether you are locked down alone (as is the case with Robyn) or with your family and small kids (like myself), a glass of bubbly is an indisputable necessity during quarantine.
Since starting to work full time again, I have had an intense need for more time with my kids. In fact, I have been fervently wishing for more flexibility in the workplace and for the ability to work from home. It´s been something I have been discussing with my superior on and off for months now and although being locked down is far from ideal (it in fact is devastating our economy), I have been loving the opportunity to work from home during this turbulent and restricted time - albeit that the initial vision of a home office looked slightly different in my mind´s eye. Having the kids at home because the schools have closed, for example, was definitely not something I considered when I boldly proclaimed that I will be able to work more effectively from home than in an office environment.
Quarantine with Kids: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Although my kids are generally quite capable of playing together, quietly, as I fold laundry or clean the house, the minute my laptop is switched on and they hear the sounds of a video call starting, they become little Tasmanian Devils: loud and busy! The other day, while on a call, I moved from room to room inadvertently giving my colleagues a tour of our home, looking for a quiet spot away from the noise. From having to watch me deal with a tired screaming child, to listening to ´very funny´ fart noises as I brief the team about a project we are working on, my colleagues have never been so intimately involved in my day to day life as now (even though we are all so far apart).
Lock down has been a roller-coaster, and it will continue to be so for a while, with really good moments and really hard ones. Trying to do it all, while stuck in a confined space, has not been easy, but I am grateful: grateful for the fact that we still have jobs, a house and food on the table; grateful that we have children who we can teach and mold into something amazing; grateful for the family time and grateful for the chance to take some time out of the mad rush of our daily routines.
What I have learned thus far? That we do not have to be perfect and we do not have to try and do it all at once (note: this might save your champagne glasses). That we should make the most of any situation, even if it is not ideal (everything really always is as it should be) and, most importantly, that true love is your husband cleaning the bathrooms for you. Because, let´s be real: flowers are great but a clean bathroom is even better.
