I am writing this while imagining that you will be reading this in 5, 10 or 20 years. When this strange time will hopefully be long in our distant memories. I am talking about Covid-19 and global pandemic. Although, you hear all the time on the news coronavirus being mentioned that it rolls off your tongue like another word in the English dictionary.

We, ourselves in the UK, are learning to live life in lockdown, which means restricted movement and practicing social distancing. If it feels like a surreal science-fiction story. It is. There are moments when I have felt sad and anxious, mostly around the daily stats, hearing people suffering and worrying about the effects on our mental health. If a trip to the supermarket feels like a chore, it is just the same now but with more anxiety attached to it. You have seen for yourself the empty shelves and tape marked out on the shop floors. I think it’s important that you get to see some of this new reality so you can understand in your own way what it is like living in this time. You ask questions and it may seem weird, but I hear in your voices that you are not worried and that is reassuring.

On the whole, we are coping as a family. The schools closed as part of the lockdown two weeks before the Easter break and rather unexpectedly we were thrust into the homeschooling life, which by my interpretation, means doing hands-on experiential learning. I have to say there is a lot of play and freedom involved, but then I am guided by seeing how much you can take and understand. 

Some days we have better successes than others and that is all right. One of the lessons I learned in life is that when life gets tough we learn to reassess our priorities, shift them or change our perspectives. I am still working behind the scenes as much as I can in my photography business, but mostly my days are spent with you and juggling my own work schedule around you.

It’s been an interesting exercise with all five of us in the house, including your dad working from home and Barney our dog. I’m not sure what Barney makes of everyone spending all this time together at home and your shenanigans. He’s not able to find his usual quiet spot on the sofa for the day as you constantly like to bounce on them. I guess we do try to make up for it by giving him long walks each day, which is a saviour during this lockdown when we are only allowed out of the house for one exercise a day.

I should also say that I am proud of how well you are both responding and adapting to this new situation. At first, it may seem a novelty. I wrote in my last entry for Seasons of Motherhood that you find school boring and you would rather be at home. That was over a month ago and, writing this down now, I don’t think any of us could foresee that perhaps you would have your wish granted. At this moment in time, I don’t know if you are even going back to school before the end of the academic year. I did worry about how you would manage to adjust to not seeing your school friends or being given structured work to do, but that was short-lived. It has been such a relief to see how relaxed and happy you both are during this time. I always knew you would be resilient and this just confirms it. I also love that you continue to be kind to each other and also show diligence and curiosity with everything around you.

If there was a silver lining to come out of this, and I am sure there will be, is that we will remember how we enjoyed spending more time together at home and living more simply and slowly.

This is part of ARTEFACT MOTHERHOOD - a project shared with other female artists who are documenting our journeys as mothers and creating memories for our children through our photographs and words.

Go next to beautiful Abigail Fahey to read her post in our blog circle.