We Had A Glimpse Of The New Normal Last Week

It’s been approximately four months since lockdown started here in Wales. During this time we have become a very close knit family of four relying on each other for smiles, laughter, cuddles, hugs and just generally being there for each other.

This has been the situation 24/7 for 7 days a week. Our communication with other people has been very limited which has been strange as the girls have had basically nobody to talk to other than us two, their mum and dad.

They have had very little interaction with their school friends, teachers or their extended family.

Last week we noticed that a farm had opened it doors to the public. It was about five miles from our home so it was within our allowed distance of travel.

The girls have not actually been in the car since the last day they left school back in March. It is actually mind boggling how long we have been safely tucked up in our own little bubble, but we felt it was important to give the girls some normality, even if it is a new normal which will be far removed from anything that they remembered from before lockdown.

There has been a lot of talk about how damaging this is going to be for children, and yes, certain ages of children will, I’m sure be affected in regards to their education.

Our girls are 8 years old and the effect on their education in my opinion is going to be very minor. Like many children they are resilient and this time will become just a distant memory that won’t affect their mental wellbeing one bit for the future.

They are fully understanding of social distancing and they understand what COVID-19 is and how dangerous it can be. They know that it will be a new normal and that won’t include hugging or getting too close to their friends.

Their understanding of the new normal was brought to light on our visit to this local farm. They washed their hands and kept their distance themselves to stay safe without us having to remind them constantly.

We had a three hour slot at the farm and the girls loved getting out in the sunshine and seeing many different animals. We had a picnic lunch at the farm and it was really lovely to be out as a family somewhere a bit different from our home or the surrounding area where we live.

Ultimately our children will get through these strange and dangerous times without any lasting affects, but it’s going to be a very different world from the one they were living in before, but they will get used to it and most likely just take it in their stride.

How have your children coped through these times? I would love to hear in the comments below.