Dear 2020 Moms,
Do not give up.
I know it’s been a tough six months. We’ve obviously been living in a time warp that made each month 500 days long, and now the school year is about to begin. You’ve been up late worrying about how to approach school. Not in the fun first-day-outfit or lunchbox-note kind of way either. No, 2020 has you questioning every plan and life choice you’ve ever made. You’re wondering how to protect your family, give your kids opportunities to socialize, and meet your personal obligations—all at the same time.
It’d be one thing to make these impossible decisions on the coattails of indisputable data or at the recommendation of leaders you wholeheartedly trust. But experts can’t seem to agree and leaders can’t seem to leave the politics out of it. So here you are—fueled by prayers and caffeine—learning what you need for success in virtual school and considering homeschool despite your previous resolutions never to do so. Add this to the list of things you’ve had to reinvent and redefine during 2020. It’s right there with the socially distant birthday parties, the family mask basket next to the coat rack, and the stockpile of toilet paper in the closet. Amidst it all you’re wondering what the future holds for your kids, your job, your health. For you.
Do not give up.
The good you do matters. The treat you left on your friend’s doorstep. The groceries you picked up for your neighbor. The obstacle course you set up in the backyard for your kids. The thousands of prayers you’ve prayed for your parents. The virtual parent-teacher meetings. The Zoom work meetings with your mic always muted until the last possible second. I see it. They see it. Sometimes you don’t see it because you’re busy being it, but you are a force.
Remember that when you are out of ideas to entertain your stir-crazy children. Or when you could use a girls’ night that’s not virtual. Or when uncertainty is sitting on your chest like a toddler who caught you trying to take a nap. I want you to remember that all the efforts you’ve given since March are not in vain. Nor is all the work you’ll do in the coming months. Stop asking if “you’re doing this right,” and know that what you are doing matters.
Do not give up.
If anyone can figure this out it’s you, Mama. If there is a strength capable of turning the heavy tables of 2020, it is you.
You see the light in your children and you’ll fight to make their world better. As your child’s first and most influential teacher, your gut knows how to approach their education. However that looks, one thing is certain—they’ll learn things from you during this year that will change their lives.
Your heart knows that there is a way to navigate these uncharted waters with love and compassion, despite the divisiveness permeating society. The connection you feel to others in our human family will drive you to find solutions; not point out faults. You’ve fixed broken toys, broken nails, broken hearts and now you’re going to fix this broken world. Not all at once but one right thing at a time.
I know you’re exhausted. I know you crave normalcy even more than your kids do. I know it’s tempting to just tell 2020 that it has won. But don’t you do it. Take a nap. Eat your veggies. Give yourself time to just be still. Then take a deep breath and keep doing what you do best. Loving. Working. Teaching. Creating. Mom-ing.
Do not give up.
This was beautiful, just what I needed to read today. Thank you ! Shared tour post:) Beat of luck this year with your kiddos.