I’m tired. I imagine you are too. Together, we’re mothering through another COVID wave. It feels like it will never end. Like many, I felt excited in November when my child was finally able to get vaccinated. It felt like we could finally exhale.
Then Omicron hit.
Moms scrambled to get kid-sized KN95’s for school with the internet price gouging per usual, trading in cloth masks for something that feels safer (even though the kids all eat together for lunch). They searched drugstores for at-home COVID tests, knowing they probably wouldn’t be available. They feared that their children who are not yet eligible for vaccination would now be at greater risk.
We hope our kids will stay healthy and know there is a probability that they won’t even if we take all the precautions. We question our decisions. It can feel impossible at times.
Moms, I see that you were so careful. Isolating your kids until they could get vaccinated if they were eligible. We’re reminded that it’s no longer about vaccination to avoid COVID. It’s about vaccination to not end up in the hospital. And yet, for many moms there is a feeling of failure if the family gets infected.
We keep having expectations and then are disappointed time and time again when they aren’t met. We are triggered back to the lockdown and the isolation that was felt. It’s easy to feel helpless, even hopeless at times.
It’s not easy to shift our mindset.
It’s important to remember that things are different now than when lockdowns occurred in 2020. Now, we have some protection. Now, we can know that we’ve done everything we can. We can still have feelings about how things are, but we also can’t let it stop us from living our lives. That doesn’t mean taking uncalculated risks, but rather knowing that you’ve done everything you can and nothing is forever. Does that mean it doesn’t feel heavy? No. Does that mean it doesn’t feel exhausting? No. Does this mean that all the news we are reading doesn’t trigger some fear? No. Does it mean you’re a failure and wasted time isolating in the past if your child or someone in your family gets COVID? No.
We’re holding so much for both ourselves and our kids.
We must explain to our children why things are the way they are, why the rules are important, and saying no to fun things that don’t necessarily feel safe to us as parents. Then, for our young children there’s the reminding, reminding, reminding to wear masks and wash hands properly. Many moms also wonder if tomorrow school will go back to being virtual (some have already) or their childcare will be unavailable and how we will, again, juggle work with kids at home and many doing online learning. Research shows that mothers have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic for this reason.
We need to continue to take care of our mental health.
It’s important to socialize, to have support. We need to feel like we’re not alone. There’s no simple solution to this, and everyone has their own risk tolerance level. The way you are feeling, whatever it is, is real and valid.
May you be well, may you feel safe, may you feel loved.
If you are looking for support and live in California, please contact me for a free 15 minute consultation.
Please note that this article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice from a doctor or mental health professional.