Boy in Brown Hoodie Carrying Red Backpack While Walking on Dirt Road Near Tall Trees

This morning reading through a slew of opinions on distance learning vs. in person classes, I was permeated with emotions of sheer confusion and chaos.

In midst of sipping my coffee with my husband, I went on a full-blown rant.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, about the upcoming school year is fair or a win.

It’s like I am being asked to choose between my kids’ learning and maintaining my full time job.

I am being asked to choose between the physical health and mental/emotional well-being of my family.

I am being asked to choose when the choices keep changing at the drop of a hat.

While I was in the thick on narrating “my” problems, something else dawned on me.

….I am being asked…to choose…

even if the options suck…I have a choice.

At this very same moment – there are moms who are signing up for in person learning because they don’t have the option to work from home.

There are moms who are gearing up their suits to step outside while staring at the ridiculous statistics of rising infections.

There are moms who are contemplating between temporarily and permanently saying goodbye to their careers because they can’t afford childcare.

There are moms who are looking in the deepest darkest trenches of their lives and silently admitting to themselves that their homes are not safe places of learning.

Worst yet, there are moms who are anxiously awaiting Covid 19 test results for their kids…at THIS very moment.

They….DON’T have a choice.

While this doesn’t elicit any answer to the confusions surrounding this school year, it certainly makes me less myopic and puts my problems into perspective.

Life as we know it has changed at least for the time being. Its not ideal but its doable. While we may be begrudgingly toggling between what seem really difficult choices, lets not forget to still thank our stars and count our blessings.

Advertisement