My big boy, at just 4 years old, you’re trying as best you can to understand what’s going on out there. You’re doing your best to process all the information coming at you from every direction. I know you understand that things out there right now aren’t the same as they used to be.
Overnight, you and your sister were torn away from your well-oiled routine. No more daycare, no more frequent visits to your beloved grandmother, no more activities or a constant stream of visitors at home. All of this, for your safety and that of our family.
I know this is hard for you, sweetheart; I can see it in your eyes and your little sister’s. It’s not normal for you to stay home with Dad while Mom leaves all day for work.
Don’t worry, my baby—Mommy finds it hard, too. I’m not in lockdown like the three of you, but Mommy is taking so many precautions to keep that darn virus from coming home that the skin on my hands is red as blood. Still, I want so badly to make sure nothing happens to you that even if my body is suffering, I’ll keep scrubbing as hard as I can to protect you.
I know time is dragging on, my sweetie, and that people are acting strangely. What’s happening right now is bigger than you and me. I’d love to tell you that it’ll pass quickly and that everything will go back to the way it was, but that would be lying to you...
My love, people will be left with lasting effects from what has just happened. I’d be lying to you if I told you that soon restaurants will be packed, that people will be hugging each other like before, and that we won’t pay attention to the person coughing next to us in line. We’ll remain wary for a while. Maybe even longer than expected. We’ll still feel a bit nervous when it’s time to enter our PIN on the machine to pay for a purchase. For a while, we might hesitate when opening a door or when people get a little too close to us.
What I hope for, my little one, is that after this pandemic we’ll have reevaluated our priorities, and that we’ll make time for those we love without reservation.
My big guy, this virus has brought out the worst in people, but also the best. I don’t want everything to go back to the way it was before. I want everything to be better afterward. Until then, let’s take the time to think about what we want for the future.