The topic I have chosen is not something new and we have been seeing these kinds of posts from March mid-week from across the world.Yet I chose this topic to share my personal experience of how I managed to work from home as well as keeping my 9 year old son engaged.I do accept it’s a challenge not only for me but almost everyone across the world but just presenting how I handled it.
Before I begin sharing my experience, my thoughts and prayers to thousands of lives that are lost because of COVID 2019 and to their families.Feel so blessed and fortunate to have been safe at home and able to pen down this essay.
While I wholeheartedly accept that life has tremendously changed from March mid-week and all of us had to make many compromises to get accustomed to this lifestyle and each one of us will have our own grievances, I just want to bring forth some of the positive aspects in my life because of this lockdown.
1)To begin with,I had actually suspended my career post the birth of my son and was completely a homemaker until he started his lower kindergarten in school.Though I never tried to compromise on the quality time I spend with him post resuming my career,yet this 1.5 months has added more flavour to this mother-son relationship.Though this lockdown meant juggling between household work,office work, attending official meetings,helping him with his online homework given by his school teachers and so on but still my mere presence with him 24/7 all these 45 days(as of May 1st week) is something which I can never expect to get anytime sooner.
True that I get to spend time with him on weekends, even before lockdown but we do have other priorities planned during weekends which could be done only on weekends for working moms which, reduces the bonding time. I would definitely say that the mother-son bonding has increased during this lockdown.
2)In the evenings during sunset we started this habit of spending time in our apartment terrace to breathe in some fresh air and chit chat among us.I share with him the memories of how we used to spend time on the same terrace playing with his puzzles,colouring activities and other games when he was a toddler.I have now taught him to play “pandi”(hopscotch game) as is called in Tamil and we play it at least on alternate days. Once I start going to the office I am sure I will not get this time except on weekends.
3)I had always wanted to inculcate the habit of reading books in him.Though he reads at times, he doesn’t take it too seriously.But this lockdown has changed that.He has been reading at least a few pages just to keep him engaged when my husband and I are busy with our work in the mornings.What I had tried to achieve for long,got fulfilled now!!
4)With the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha being re telecasted in the television,he started showing great interest in watching it. He also remembers some of the prominent characters from each epic now.
5)I have played street cricket during my childhood days and then with my younger brother during his childhood days.Though I watch cricket matches even now, it’s been years since I played cricket.With my son being a cricket freak he exhibits his talents in the game by teaching me some shots and how to bowl.We also broke a chandelier in our living room during one of our practice sessions adding to many of our lockdown atrocities list !!
6)While my husband and I are busy with our office work,we motivate him to sit beside us and do his online homework given by his school teachersl.Itsindeed a sight to behold, when all the three of us sit in the same room each at one corner engrossed in our own respective work.
7)He also spends a lot of quality time with his paternal grandparents and his great grandmother since all of us are at home the whole day.
Apart from the above mentioned activities which brought out the mother side of me, I would like to bring forth, how, I as an individual managed the lockdown effectively:
1)As right now we are restricted to cook with only the available items,I started trying new recipes leaving all my inhibitions and keep torturing people at home.Jokes apart,it has given me confidence that I too can cook new recipes deliciously during the first try itself especially when people at home are so appreciative.
2)I started pursuing my passion of writing blogs.Writing blogs have always been on the list of my “to do” items but I changed the status of it to “In progress” now.Also started trying out my hands in essay writing competitions as I am attempting this one.
3)Rediscovering the musical talent in me.Exploring the Smule app and practicing songs in it
4) Did haircut for my son which I would have never imagined doing in my life. And I was on cloud nine when my son himself complimented me for the hairstyle I gave him which is higher than any other award.
5)Equipping myself technically by attending online courses which will aid me in my job.
6)I again started listening to Hindi songs which I stopped doing after my wedding though it was not intentional.Listening to the songs of the 90s brought back beautiful memories of watching films like Pardes,KuchKuchHota Hai, KabhiKushiKabhiGham and so on along with family and friends!!
7)Lockdown indeed has made us use technology to its best.Considering we are a huge and closely knitted family in both my parents side as well as my parents in laws side,we had a virtual call among our cousins in zoom app ..We had an all cousins call with all my cousins who are spread across the world.It felt great to see all of them with their respective families all at one place.
8)One of my husband’s cousins celebrated her daughter’s birthday recently and we were invited to join in “houseparty” app.Had great fun attending the birthday party virtually.
Lastly I am able to sit and refresh my memory to think about the lockdown memories and coin this essay.I don’t mean to say all this was possible only because of lockdown but these became a priority only because of this lockdown. Perhaps I like to phrase it like, this period has taught to value life,to value people around,to appreciate small things in life,to be contented with what we have and so on.It has,in fact, changed the perspective of life.Definitely life will not be the same like it was before. I feel it will be referred as “Life before corona” and “Life after corona”.
With lockdown being extended for two more weeks and private companies planning to resume work, the chances are more that I will be one of the few to go to office on a priority basis.With these memories being carved out of a situation like this,soon the “present” will become one of the “past” memorable memories to cherish for lifetime.
Having said all this,praying to God almighty hoping that our generation as well as the future generations don’t see something like this again!!
Stay at home.Be safe!!
Author: S.Jayashree
