We’ve heard and we’ve seen how celebrities are handling life in self-quarantine, and what it’s been like for them to homeschool their kids. But what about the parents and the families that don’t have a million-plus followers on social media?
Well, Mamas Uncut was able to talk with a mom from Central Florida, who is doing her best to keep her family occupied, educated, and safe during this unprecedented time. Maria is a mom of four. Her oldest is a sophomore in high school and her youngest is in first grade.
On top of homeschooling four children, her husband is an internal medicine doctor at the local clinic in their hometown. And before becoming a stay-at-home mom, she was once a nurse for more than 10 years.
While talking with Maria on social media, she thanked Mamas Uncut “for the opportunity to share what it has been like for us.” However, while having been a stay-at-home mom for the last several years and even though “keeping the children busy comes second nature” to her, Maria admits that not “being able to go places and do things together that we normally would” has been difficult for them.
Nonetheless, like every parent is doing their best at right now, Maria has shared with Mamas Uncut some of the things she and her children have been doing to pass the time. From interactive science projects to cool arts and crafts, Maria has some ideas that any parent can do with their kids in their own homes.
Real-Life Mom Talks About Life In Quarantine and How She and Her Family Are Dealing
“They have tie-dyed shirts, made volcanoes, done science experiments like coke and mentos, painted pictures, made slime, completed puzzles, made clay art…each day is something different.” However, while she and her kids attempt to stay occupied, it isn’t their top priority.
“My husband is an internist with a clinic and he also has other responsibilities at the hospital. So our concern for him and all the different specialists, nurses, therapists, clerks, and patients have been the top priority. He now takes scrubs to his office and changes at work and changes his coat daily, where he would change weekly (unless he needed to for some other reason). He showers immediately after coming home. I spray his shoes, wallet and anything else with Lysol that he had in his pockets in the garage.”
Maria also opened up about the new rules in the grocery stores that have made it difficult for large families to purchase enough essential goods to provide for their family for more than two days at a time. “The only thing that has been unnerving for us is the fact that if we take only two of each item, then I would have to go to the store every day or every other day.”
“For a family of six, we have a large grocery bill,” Maria explained. “We have also found that writing a lunch and dinner menu with the children has helped them feel more involved in what is made for each so they don’t have to constantly ask what’s for lunch or dinner since being home from school.”
Maria also expressed her gratitude for the teachers and administrators of her children’s schools who have seemingly made a seamless transition into at-home learning, which includes using Google classroom and fun learning websites to keep the kids engaged. She also noted that she realizes that this hasn’t been the case for every school and family in the country.
In the end, Maria believes her family is “adjusting well to this situation around the world. They understand that it is serious and we have to stay home to protect other people, including our own family.”
“Both my parents and both of my in-laws are ‘of the age’ of concern for this virus, so we have Facetimed with them and even had a zoom meeting with my sister and mom.” Maria also tries to avoid watching the news around her kids. “We don’t let our own worries and thoughts be present in front of them. I did have a good cry yesterday with my husband over it all. We kept it hidden from them.”
“At their ages, there is absolutely nothing they can do except what they are doing,” Maria continued. “I don’t want them to know how quickly it is spreading, how devastating this is for families or anything else that is negative. They are young, 15, 11, 9, and 7, they can’t fully comprehend how every single thing will be affected at the end of this outbreak.”
As Maria explained, as much normalcy as possible is key for a successful quarantine. But it is also completely normal for parents and caretakers to feel overwhelmed during this time of uncertainty. There may be people out there who think parents shouldn’t be having a hard time with this, but every situation is different and it is perfectly fine to ask for help.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.