I have decided to write a weekly diary of our time through the Coronavirus pandemic. To keep for the future. It’s such an unprecedented time and full of so many mixed feelings and events we have never encountered before it is hard to process it all.
2nd September
Today marked back to normal in our house, or the ‘new normal’ as it is being described. I took the children back to school and we were all a mix of nerves and excitement. School is different, as is to be expected, but not as different as I thought it would be.
Children are being kept in year bubbles, for my children as they have a 3 intake school that is about 90 children which I actually think is quite a lot. Especially given it was 15 children prior to the summer holidays, but I guess if the government want every child back full time, not every other day or on a rota this is the only way that it can be managed.
There are certain gates that different year groups can use from collection and drop-off. The time for drop-off in the morning has been extended. Children eat lunch and go in the playground with their own year groups only.
Reading books are quarantined for 72 hours after they are returned to school. Schools bags are allowed, it’s advised that lunch bags are disposable but we are using plastic tubs that can be sterilised in the dishwasher.
Children are arranged to be sat facing forwards in classrooms, rather than the usual table configurations. And when we dropped the children off teacher were wearing visors, but only at drop-off and pick-up time only.
Aria has a wobble at the door, but I kind of expected that really, and after a couple of hugs she went in fine. It helped that she has the same teacher as last year. Logan had a different drop-off this year as he is now classed as one of the older children, so no teacher at the door. But he went in relatively calmly. After deliberating if he was too cool for a hug at the door, decided it was ok and off he went.
They both came out happy and Aria was in face so happy she was virtually bouncing off the walls. Logan was more sedate but said that he had had a nice day. It wasn’t great timing they both had swimming on their first day back, but that’s just where the schedules ended up, so they were shattered by bed time.
4th September
The children have completed 3 whole days back at school now. Logan had lots of anxiety at bed time tonight, I think he was probably just processing everything that had happened. But overall they have really enjoyed being back and seeing their friends.
School has gone well and I think the children’s school are doing a very good job in difficult circumstances. Drop-off in the morning is easier than the afternoon. The afternoon gets busy and I wonder if it could do with a bit more staggering. But it’s a total learning curve. I’m surprised at how few parents are wearing masks at collection. I would say less than 10%. I only wear it in the school gates and take it off for the pick up and collection. But people are very strange about masks.
I made a mistake today. One of my Mum friends was crying and very upset at the school gates. Someone in her family had just died and I hugged her. I had a mask on, but afterwards I messaged her to apologise. We’re all meant to be socially distancing, and I haven’t even hugged my Mum for months! But it seemed so wrong not to reach out to someone who was upset like that, to go against human nature. It’s so hard.
6th September
A relatively quiet weekend as the children are processing being back at school. I took the youngest two out to the shops as they needed a change of scenery and I had some errands to run yesterday. And today I have taken the children out for a bike ride. Logan now has a reading book, so we did school reading. It’s definitely an adjustment after 6 months off school for us all to get back into the routine of things. Part of me is looking forward to it, getting my own space and the other part is finding it odd not having the gaggle of noise and the squabbling and the laughter.
7th September
I suspected it last night after bath time, but I am pretty sure that Bo has chicken pox. I have no idea where he will have picked that up from as we have been socially distancing and even more so I think of on holiday. The children haven’t been at school long enough for it to be from there as chicken pox has a long incubation period. Maybe swimming lessons, I don’t know?
He has about 14 spots and is unwell and at lunchtime today he asked to go to bed, which is quite unlike him. Some days when I think he needs a nap I have to battle him down, but he doesn’t ask for a nap. I was expecting more spots today, but I guess the viral load might be low due to everyone social distancing? But it means his pre-school settling session this week has been delayed.
Other news to report today is how high the new daily cases were yesterday – just under 3000. Which is pretty much double what is has been every other day last week. The reports are saying it’s young people not socially distancing. That the cases are not so severe due to the age of the people. I’m a little concerned given that schools have just reopened, but I guess we just need to see if these cases translate into hospitalisations. Let’s see what the next week holds, but for now I am going to enjoy my first week to get more organised with the older two children back at school.