The Coronacation Diaries, Episode 17

Something Strange Has Happened to My Family: A New (Temporary) Era

BC: Before Coronavirus

Before the State of Michigan shut down and we all sheltered in place and forgot to brush our hair, our family was busy ALL THE TIME. Even though I had pledged to not over-schedule my kids, the older they got, the busier they got, and we spent most evenings driving all over the greater Lansing area and eating whatever I could pick up or throw together in 5 min or less.

The only homemade family dinner night was Wednesday, after we got back from music lessons.

And Friday dinner at Blue Gill or the Mayfair was sacred family time.
That was it.

Monday: Sam had piano lessons and Helena had voice.

Tuesday: Helena had roller derby, Sam had Scouts, and if he didn't have that, he went to Taekwondo. 

Wednesday: Sam had guitar lessons and Helena had piano.

Thursday: Helena had roller derby and Sam had Taekwondo.

This schedule doesn't reflect Sam's basketball season or baseball season practices, Helena's girl scouts, choir and band concerts and theater obligations, Michael's running club night, or my union meetings, Girl Scout leader meetings, alternative ed shifts, and physical therapy.

There's a reason I put 28,000 miles on my car in 15 months.

AEV: Annus Enim Virum (The Year of the Virus)

But now, everything is cancelled; the only remaining meetings are taking place in the house via Zoom and are burning through all of my Hotspot data, instead of gallons of (very cheap!) gas.

And dinner, every single night, has become a family affair.

At first, it was hard to get the kids to put electronics down, to get them on some sort of an eating schedule that recognized "meals," to get them to eat something other than convenience food. I am a good cook, but I have the pickiest eaters in this house, myself included. I'm vegetarian. Michael hates beans, fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed meats; Sam hates anything white and creamy, including butter and cheese. Dinners were a chore, y'all, and usually started and ended with a fight, with a lot of heavy sighing and eye-rolling thrown in for good measure.

But now, 2 1/2 weeks into our new routine, dinner has become a time when we all get together. Like, on purpose. The electronics get left in their bedrooms without my nagging. The kids linger...LINGER...after we are all done eating. There is banter. Tonight, Michael ate a carrot. Sam tried the mashed potatoes (and declared them gross). Helena didn't have earbuds in. AND THEY PUT THEIR PLATES IN THE SINK WHEN THEY WERE DONE. 

Don't get me wrong: we miss what we've lost. We want our lives back. We miss our friends and our hobbies and our passions. We miss the driving energy that kept us going, and those pieces of our identities that made us uniquely us. But we've gained something out of all this, something I didn't have to force or manufacture. We've slowed down enough to sit down together. As a family.

And when this is all over, and things get back to normal, these moments with my family will be something I will miss.