It’s okay…really.
It’s okay to feel afraid, even petrified.
It’s okay to cry, to not cry, and to feel as if you’d like to wail.
It’s okay to have Mount Never-rest Laundry.
It’s okay to have peanut butter and jelly for dinner…again.
It’s okay to silently scream inside when the kids are tussling for the 51st time of the day.
It’s okay never to want to sit at the computer again.
It’s okay to eat the last chocolate chip cookie.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed and like the most inept person on the face of the earth. How do we do all this anyway?
It’s okay to wish you could stamp COVID-19 like a bug and go about business as usual.
It’s okay to feel like you’re living in the Twilight Zone. I think we are.
It’s okay when you’ve tolerated the last second of children jumping on the bed before slumber.
It’s okay to feel like you’ve carried a ton of bricks around all day long.
It’s okay to be confused and wonder if you tele-ported to another planet.
It’s okay to worry about the bills.
It’s okay to wonder, “How much longer can we live like this?”
Yet, it’s okay to read the extra bedtime story and then, one more.
It’s okay to feel restless on the inside as you bravely emit a peaceful presence to your family on the outside.
It’s okay to watch Netflix all day on Saturday.
It’s okay to skip the virtual homework and take a moment to sit and play a game of Candyland.
It’s okay to play Minecraft a little longer.
It’s okay to let the dishes sit while you ponder with your teenager.
It’s okay to finish the Lego Harry Potter Castle in one. single. sitting.
It’s okay to enjoy the quiet of life without distractions.
It’s okay to take a break, even if it’s for a moment.
It’s okay to stay in your jammies all day.
It’s okay to linger.
It’s okay to wave, blow a kiss and give a hug across a computer screen.
It’s okay to leave the beds unmade.
It’s okay to curl your hair and wear a special outfit for your neighborhood walk.
It’s okay to laugh, a deep hard belly-laugh and then, start to cry.
It’s okay, really…it’s all okay.
You are each working incredibly hard. Be kind to yourselves. Each day may offer challenges with sprinkles of graces. If today was out of sync, tomorrow offers another opportunity. No one has a “How to Adapt Family Life during a World Pandemic Manual.”
Caregivers, children and families are encountering many emotions. There are a lot of “feelings” in this unusual and uncertain time. Most importantly, tune in to them. As you mindfully, recognize how they are manifested, you are apt to keep yourself and those you love feeling settled and keep making the connection with your child.
We’re living and learning through this unprecedented time. What are your embodied experiences to family life’s transition? What helps you to all feel safe and keep your family connected?
~Stacy
Author: Stacy Sue Rosello, MA, OTR/L
Founder, Embrace the Child, ® Ltd.
Editor: Grace Rosello
Copyright © 2020 Stacy Sue Rosello
