With schools all over the city closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve found myself, both as a teacher and a mom, trying to explain to my child about what’s going on. I’m not one to sugarcoat most things, especially if it’s a serious matter, so being upfront with my child seemed like the only way for me.
Simple Rules to Follow
My preschool daughter knows there’s a virus going around. When we took her in to the doctor a few days ago because she was running a low-grade fever, she asked, “Mommy do I have the BIRUS?” Yes, she says virus with a “B”, it’s the cutest thing and I hope she will continue to pronounce words differently, even as a grown up.
I assured her she didn’t have Coronavirus, and our health practitioner quickly informed us it was her allergies acting up. Our recent move to Houston has really kept us on our toes when it comes to her allergies. She wasn’t afraid to go to the doctor, despite her concern of this virus. She’s not fearful because we haven’t given her a reason to be afraid. My priority as a parent is doing my job to educate her as best as I can. We’ve been very vigilant with her hand-washing skills recently, implementing 2 pumps of soap and counting to 20 while washing her hands. We’re also making sure hand sanitizer is used frequently when we’re out and about, mostly on grocery runs. Our unicorn scented hand sanitizer seems to be doing the trick for her, and for me too.
School’s Out for SPRING?!
We just finished up our spring break and our school, like most in the city, has remained closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This was expected, and honestly, in my opinion, it’s for the best. “Baby, we’re not going to be going back to school next week.” My daughter’s initial response was a huge grin on her face, ear to ear and twinkling eyes. I swear to you, this child REALLY loves school, but she also loves to stay at home and play with ALL her toys ALL AT THE SAME TIME. After her excitement she asked, “Why?? Is it because of the BIRUS?” She definitely knows what’s going on and I’m not going to lie to her. I told her that schools all over the city need to shut down in order to clean, sanitize, and to keep our kids healthy at home. She acknowledged my comment and went off to change into her third dress up outfit for the day.
As a family, we watched the president address the country a few nights ago, talking about the severity of this pandemic. She listened for the most part, while laying in her daddy’s arms, but soon she was out like a light. But during her time of consciousness, she was observant, quiet, and using great preschool listening skills.