6 Ways Moms Have Found Success in Lockdown
May 14, 2020
It seems we can’t be sure what the future holds but, by the looks of things, we’re in for a lot more time in our houses than we normally spend! With the thought of these endless weeks ahead, I decided to pick the brain of my mom friends to find out what was working for them. I asked them the one thing that went really well, worked to solve a problem, or made things better overall.
The two most popular answers were along the lines of “Ample supplies of wine” and “Does keeping the children alive count?” We can all relate to those! I do think this situation means that the simple act of keeping them alive is a success.
Here’s what moms told me has been most helpful in the
pursuit of that!
Write It Out
“I saw my preschool teacher friend using a whiteboard with her little kids. I went out that day to get one. It makes it so much easier to keep track of what everyone should be doing. We write our calendar every night at dinner for the next day. Even me. It does my organizing heart so much good.”
Do What You Like
“We picked a project to help keep the kids occupied. Knowing that I’d end up spending a lot of time on the project too, I suggested things I’d be okay doing. Like a lot. We landed on gardening. While my kids do colors and a fairy village in the flowers, I can fiddle with strawberries and stuff.”
Call in the Troops
“I arranged a weekly online playdate with my son’s best friends. They play games for over an hour every time. It started with Pictionary and Charades and now they’ve found all sorts of stuff online. I don’t realize just how restrictive things are until that hour when I can do whatever I want. I feel so free.”
Just Say No
“It’s less about what I did and more about what I don’t do. I disregard some of the kids’ school work. Not important stuff but the stressful pointless things. Oh, and I also let myself off the hook for having a ‘quarantine project.’”
Money Motivates
“Teenagers aren’t exactly willing to put down their phones. I took a shortcut around that by paying her to make cards that I can send to my friends. She’s quite an artist and loves it when she actually spends creative time. But, she will almost never choose to paint or draw on her own. It feels a little like bribery but whatever. I’d just buy it online anyway. Plus, I’m happy to send out something so original.”
Find the Rainbows
“My little man is such a worrier. At first, I tried to hide a lot from him. It worked so much better when I let him see some of the news or articles but focused on all of the silver linings like less pollution, more sleep for us, less day to day stress …”
We all have different children and we are all different
moms. These stressful periods tend to bring out the worst in us. Hopefully,
these moms’ successes will inspire you with great ideas and bring you moments
of peace and joy.
