Momspace with L. Renee Griffin

One Parent’s Perspective on Adapting to the Pandemic

L. Renee Griffin

Who knew the events of 2020 would still be impacting our lives two years later? I’m talking about COVID-19. This world-wide pandemic has altered our environment in a multitude of ways. We went from being carefree and spending time with friends to distancing ourselves, wearing masks, and settling for connecting with others via electronics. We’ve had to adapt, adjust like never before, . . . and constantly! Unfortunately, one of the groups that has been affected the most is parents. The pandemic has been a never-ending crash course in adapting to our new normal as we (parents) have had to take on additional roles in the home.

When COVID-19 was at its peak - and I say this hoping the worst is over - schools and businesses closed, forcing parents to work from home while homeschooling their kids, feeding their families, and keeping their sanity. We often focus on the impact situations have on our kids, but rarely do we address the impact they have on us as adults. In the midst of the pandemic, parents like myself found ourselves adding new titles to our long list of duties. Remote Employees. Homeschooled Teachers. Tutors. Safety Monitors. Sanity Keepers.

Forced to work from home, we (parents) had to pivot to learn how to transfer the work we did everyday in an office to at home remotely. On top of that, we had to adapt to working alongside our kids as they learned to navigate remote learning. Many parents made the hard choice to homeschool their children full time, while others settled for the hybrid approach. This may not seem like a big deal, but some parents found their new normal overwhelming. Parents who were used to going into an office everyday to work and socialize now found themselves staring at the same four walls day in and day out. Those same parents often had to alternate working with helping their children sign on remotely (Some had specific times they had to sign on.) and/or flat out teaching the lesson of the day. Not everyone is a multitasker or a teacher. Some thrive off of social interactions and working remotely, curbing their creativity/productivity.

In my previous blogs, I mentioned that I am a parent, but you may not know that I am also a teacher. Even with both of those roles, I found it hard to adapt to remote working and learning. I constantly worried about how I was going to get my work done and help my daughters, who are in elementary school, complete their work as well. I am a literature teacher (for high school and college) and it was frustrating as hell to help my girls with their math assignments. I can teach them how to solve a problem; but the new strategies my girls are required to implement make no sense to me, and my way confuses them. So, I can imagine how other parents felt as they tried to help their children while working on their projects.

In between working and kids, we did laundry, put food on the table, entertained our darlings, and replaced our social activities with web and TV. When you have kids and work, parents like myself quickly realize there is little time for self. For instance, the physical act of driving to work was my refresh time. I listened to music or 107.9 as I drove to work. Along the way, I stopped for coffee and mentally prepared myself for the day. I could think about the mistakes I made the night before and/or the to-do list I needed today or this week. But COVID took that away. I suspect other parents found themselves in similar predicaments.

Fast forward to 2022: Schools and businesses have reopened, and several places do not require a mask any more. We are now post pandemic, but our environment has forever changed, especially for parents. First, let me say that I use the term post pandemic loosely since COVID is gaining momentum again, despite the availability of vaccines and booster shoots around the world. Some parents have made the tough choice to continue working from home and require their kids to work remotely instead of attending school face to face.

The height of the pandemic, the aftermath of the pandemic, and the possibilities of its return have taken a toll on parents like myself. We’ve had to adapt to a new normal. We constantly worry about keeping our kids safe, continuing their learning so they don’t fall behind, and keeping up with our own duties. It’s been hard on us physically, mentally, and spiritually; yet we continue to adapt everyday.

L. Renee credentials include a bachelor’s degree in English, a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master's in fine arts in creative writing, and a master's of arts in secondary education.

Her love for the English language has propelled James-Griffin to instruct high school, freshman, and upper-level students on the art of words. In addition, she currently resides as one of the advisers of the Milton High School literary magazine, The Globe.