Raising Kids During Covid Pinky Guerrero
Hi, I’m Pinky Guerrero! I’m an active mom of three to an 11-year-old (Skyler), 9-year-old (Spencer), and 6-year-old (Katelynn). You can usually catch me at the soccer field, hockey rink, volunteering at a variety of different non-profits, participating in a school function or simply enjoying the great outdoors with my husband and kids! Our schedules are pretty jampacked, we successfully thrive off of a well-color-coded digital calendar and physical planner (yes, I am that mom). I guess I was that mom pre-COVID; our once color-coded itinerary filled with school, extracurricular activities, and playdates were completely wiped clean. A challenging yet grounding experience for my family and me. We learned to appreciate our time together, re-evaluate and prioritize our health, and take care of our relationships we have with friends and family. I know we may no longer thrive off of a color-coded schedule, we can’t interact with our peers/teammates or people in our community like we used to, we see less of the familiar soccer fields and ice rinks. And, due to our own personal health reasons we limit interacting with others who weren’t typically in our circle prior and if we do, we are at a safe distance, wearing masks and of course washing our hands/sanitizing regularly. Our days look MUCH different now. We spend a majority of our time learning digitally from home, settingup ZOOM dates with cousins and family who are all frontline workers, attending online therapy and enjoying late night bike rides to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Arizona skies. Overall, the most important thing I have learned during this pandemic is that GRACE was going to be my word for the remainder of the year. I’m raising my kids to have grace. To continue to be compassionate, kind human-beings and continue to stay educated on the things that are happening and how we can contribute to be better versions of ourselves for ourselves and our community. Is it the best method of raising children? I’m not sure, I definitely don’t have that answer. But I know that I am remaining hopeful as all parents are that they are doing the best they can with what they have in the situation they are in. And I know that’s enough. And honestly every day is a new day for us, filled with obstacles, tears, and lots of coffee (and wine) for this mom! Raising three active kids during this pandemic isn’t easy, but I know I’m not alone. I’m just truly trying to do my best to continue to thrive in this “new normal” and to provide hope and positivity in my children, and sometimes that’s more than enough.