In this terrible time of lockdown, the internet and social media is filled with ideas on how to occupy yourselves. How to occupy children. Keep them constructively entertained. Etc etc.

People have made time tables for kids and expect them to follow them. Well… for a lot of parents it’s a tough time coz they have to work from home, manage online school and do the housework. I honestly feel really really sorry for them. It’s very hard to be doing all this at the same time without any help. Schools should really consider how working parents are going to manage the online classes with kids. I mean, for older kids it’s fine, they can use the computer and manage it themselves. But what about younger kids? I’ve heard some schools are taking online classes for kids as small as kindergarten! Seriously??? What’s the big deal if they miss out on a month of studies. Why can’t you just leave those kiddos alone? Or if you are so concerned just give some practice worksheets so that the parents are not stressed to sit with them for their online school. Make them do it whenever they can.

Fortunately for us we dint have any online school. Since summer vacations were anyway going to start, the schools just extended the vacation. Now depending on how long the covid crisis continues, the schools will reopen as per their schedule. P did have assignments coming in but they were pretty simple worksheets which would have come in as regular homework. Thrice a week.

I haven’t really made a time table for the kids. I hate to bind them in time even in holidays. But we have decided to make a list of must do things during the day. P can choose to do whatever she likes any time and by the end of the day she will have to have checked off all the tasks. Some stuff she does are:

• Mop playroom and bedroom
• Water the plants upstairs
• Water the plants in the garden (activity with A)
• Practice guitar
• Read (this doesn’t need to be on her list coz it happens by default)
• Do some art
• Dance class (happening online 4 times a week)
• Watch a video on curiosity stream. (This replaces homework since school is shut now for summer)

These are few activities P has to do everyday. Apart from this she watches Tv, plays with A, …. whatever else she feels like. There is no list for A. She waters the plants with P but apart from that it’s reading and maybe doing some activity books. I guess taking a nap is also on A’s list coz sometimes it’s very difficult to make her do that 😀

My point is try not to bind your kids down with time tables. If it’s required for a certain part of the day it’s fine. But apart from that give them the liberty to do whatever they feel like. I know it’s tough and you might feel life is going to go haywire but trust me let them be. They are bound in time on school days anyway. Let this also be a free time. Ask them if want to explore a new hobby which can be learnt online. So many people offering online workshops etc. up cycling workshop, science, singing, origami, art.

It sure is a good family bonding time too. We try and sit every evening and play a board game which can include everyone from A to grandpa. But many times A has to be in “someone’s team” coz she’s not old enough to play that game. She doesn’t mind 😃

What are we doing new? I really don’t have an answer to that question. If making pani puris counts…. that’s what I did 😂. The kids are just enjoying themselves. Hubby is doing some investment stuff. And me…. I honestly don’t know where my time is going. But at the end of the day I don’t have the time to do anything new. I don’t know how it happens… it just does.

P and I took some online art classes. They were short and nice and a 1 day thing.

P has started her own storytelling group on fb. She acts out a story which is for kids… A’s age. We record it and post it. She’s done only 3 till now and planning on another soon. Trying to make her do this as her summer project. It’s a private group I created for her and only people I invite can join. That’s the logo she created for her group!

So in the end of it all we hope this ends soon. Kids were not able to visit grandma in Mumbai this summer and are pretty disappointed. But we got to do what we got to do. Stay in. Stay safe. Let’s hope the vaccine for this horrible virus comes soon and we can lead normal lives again. Coz God knows when schools will be able to open again. Although all schools are preparing for online classes for all children in the event this continues beyond the vacation time. Honestly…. I’m dreading that!