Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Stress or Less?

Are my children under extra strain or stress with the COVID-19 Coronavirus situation.  Are they more distressed because they have to deal with us, their parents, as their teachers?   Is being alone, isolated from friends and family, causing them to be sad or lonely?  In short, how are my children faring with all that's happening surrounding the pandemic?

From worrying about getting sick, I don't think either of our children is one bit worried.   We discussed early on with both children that there was a good chance we would get it, but that it would be like a bad cold like we had a few years back.  They have both been sick with fevers, vomiting, aches, and lack of energy.   Both children handle being sick very well and the thought of getting coronavirus doesn't seem to bother them at all.

They know it is important for us to protect those who might have a much more severe response to COVID-19, including death.   They're taking social distancing seriously and all other measures like washing their hands (even though they're staying at home.).  On the stress from COVID-19 side of things, I'd say they are likely low stress.

School is another factor.   My son, I would have said was high stress a few weeks ago.   We're into, what is this, week six now?   Can it possibly have been six weeks?   I must be miscounting.  My son is doing so well in school.  He is largely able to work most of the day himself with a few check-ins.     I think he's low-stress as well.   I don't know how the work he's doing at home compares to what he would have done at school, but he's doing a good bit of work, completing all the items to be turned in.

My daughter is a big question with school thought.  I've talked about how she's a learning machine, which is true.   She devours work, but she also sees me fretting about getting everything ready for her.   She is so sweet, but she does need a lot of help.   I don't ever want to hobble her or "disable" her by doing things for her that she could do or learn to do herself.   That means we're asking an awful lot of her these days.  

She is rising to the challenge.  To pretty much every challenge.   I wonder if it's at a price sometimes.   She has been talking about how her stomach hurts her a lot.   It's not intestinal cramps, this is discomfort in her stomach.   Is it anxiety?  Does she have an ulcer?  Highly doubtful on the ulcer, but it's a thought.  When we give her over the counter medicine it feels better.   I'm going to talk to her psychiatrist tomorrow at our telemedicine call.   Maybe he has some suggestions.

The Big Boy Update:  My son is off right now doing his P.E. challenge of the week.   He's making an obstacle course with chalk on the driveway and sidewalk.  At different intervals you stop and do different exercises like jumping jacks or Frankensteins (I had to ask about that one).  We're going to each take a turn trying out his fitness obstacle course when he's done.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter had her first meeting online with her O&M teacher.   She talked to him about how she had done his assignment navigating from our house to the neighborhood entrance and back.  He was impressed she knew all the street names in our neighborhood.   I'm not sure why, but we've talked about the street names many times and have done walks over the years.   It just seemed like a given that she'd know how to get around the streets of our neighborhood.

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