I knew it’d only be a matter of time. I loathed the thought that this may become reality but the truth is, I don’t think anyone is going to be exempt or will have dodged this bullet by the time this is all over. That’s IF it ever ends. What the hell am I talking about?
Well, I’m talking about mandatory isolation due to Covid-19 and the fact that I now have a kid who has allegedly been in close contact with a positive case. Yup, that. I had high hopes that my kids would escape this phenomenon, but I admit, that was a grandiose and delusional thought!
I was most worried about the mental health aspects of isolation affecting one of my children more than the other, if it ever came down to it again. If you’ve read previously, you’ll know that after all of the fun things my family and I have dealt with over the past 4 years, one child seems to have been affected differently than the other (she’s a teenager and I’m sure hormones play a huge role too, not denying that). I apologize if my telling is too much for some of you, but I have never sugar coated shit and feel that if anyone encounters some of the same things, know that you’re not alone. That’s the reason I started writing to begin with.
So! We recently found out that 5 classes at the school our kids attend, Lola’s included, have to isolate for 14 days because they have been in close contact with a single positive case of Covid-19. Isn’t that something? That’s a lot of people!
The worst part is, Lola didn’t do well with the initial lockdown and the closing of the schools back in March, which worried Clem and I greatly about the possibility of this happening again in the future. During lockdown, her sleep schedule completely changed (she was up all night and slept all day despite our best efforts) and she basically fobbed off doing any school work. What also didn’t help, was that Lola knew all grades after the lockdown had no effect on her final grade, which didn’t give her any incentive to keep doing assignments. She still managed to get honors which was mind blowing, and that didn’t support any of the values we worked hard to instill in our kids about hard work, respect and accountability.
Honestly, I think this goes way back to January when Lola fell ill with pneumonia (I’m going to say that in hindsight, I believe she had Covid-19 but I cannot prove it) and fell behind in school because she was out for nearly a month. She was in over her head, as her recovery took some time, and she struggled to catch up. That, and the hormones had really kicked into overdrive and rebellion was beginning to be the flavor du jour so to speak.
We expected some of this…some
I’ve mentioned before that Clem and I had expected some of this rebellion after everything we’ve gone through as a family, but we didn’t expect the shit to slide this fast, nor this far down Turd Mountain. We are still in the early stages of getting support, and now, she’s back in isolation. Couldn’t have asked for better timing.
All that said, I know Lola is a resilient kid and we are doing everything we can to support her. She is an amazing, compassionate and empathetic human being who’s just gone through an immense amount of shit at a very young age. I just hope we all survive this pandemic and that she realizes her own potential.
Anyway, we got word to keep our kids home just before 10 p.m. the night before, but had no idea who was affected. We didn’t know if it was just our kid, the entire class, or possibly the whole school. All we knew is that Lola had to stay home and that we needed to await further instruction from our health authority.
Detective work
Since Lola has been late getting to school every day because she won’t get out of bed, she decided to make my life miserable, yet again, and sleep late. As I went about my business, I continually stopped in every 15 minutes to harass her into getting up, by being my usual annoying self, but she still wouldn’t budge. When I finally did succeed, she got up and the first thing she reached for is that bloody cell phone. I think it needs to be surgically removed, but I don’t believe they offer this service yet.
As soon as she turned on her phone, the messages rolled in like a massive tidal wave. The news of the mandatory isolation and the conspiracy theories of who it might be, made me laugh. And I know it’s not funny if someone has fallen ill, but it seems to have sparked a sense of nosey, cooperative community amongst all of the kids, whether they were in whatever social circle or not.
Everyone was talking with everyone, and the evidence collection and process of verification was interesting to witness. I can only liken it to the classic and epic game my age group grew up with called Clue. Now, I wasn’t much of a board game player growing up, and I’m still not really, but one of our kids received this game as a birthday present and it’s become one of our family favorites. I’m the trash talker of the bunch…big surprise hey?
Putting it all together
If you’ve never played, it’s fun, and provides entertainment in ways that my kids never considered. Technology has really changed the way they think, and I’ve noticed that playing actual board games has really opened their eyes in regards to problem solving, strategy and the human element. I think we’re losing so many vital skills these days, and our family game nights help develop the things that are getting tossed by the wayside because of technological advances. Just my thought.
Anyway, I watched Lola as she and a whack of various schoolmates, attempted to piece together the who, the what, the why, the when, the where and the how, excitedly exchanging who they thought it may or may not be. As soon as someone mentioned someone potentially new, off they went corroborating any and all evidence to support this new theory. As it stands, we still have no idea but the kids are still communicating with one another, and perhaps some new friendships may ensue because of it. This is a positive thing coming from a negative situation and in my books, that’s awesome.
With these mandatory isolations, I’m most worried about navigating our children safely in these overwhelmingly trying times and making sure that their mental health doesn’t begin to nor continue to decline. I know that for myself things have been difficult, so I can’t imagine how our children feel. I can now say that I know someone who has committed suicide (not certain if the lockdown and the economic consequences had something to do with it because this person is no longer here to answer this themselves, but one has to wonder) and what I’m witnessing with my children and many others is beyond concerning.
This is also important
I am just going to go out on a limb and say that declining mental health has completely overtaken the death toll in regards to this pandemic…well here anyway. I shudder to think how long this is going to last and how many of us are going to be left standing. Prior to this isolation, I had proposed to Lola to partake in some healthy coping activities, only to be told that she no longer finds joy in them. That made me very sad and concerned because she had nothing to fall back on any more, in regards to a healthy outlet of sorts.
I’m extremely happy to report though, that as of the first day of isolation, she has completely fallen into painting (just like my sister used to), and has been a totally different kid. I hope that this continues and Clem and I have been blown away by her talent. We’re going to do everything and anything to keep her going and I hope that this helps her cope during these difficult years as she becomes an adult. Fingers crossed.
I hope the affected individual that prompted this mandatory isolation, recovers quickly without incident (unlike Lola who suffered greatly when ill) and knows that there is no blame. I understand disease and stigma, and heard a few rumblings from Lola’s friends about her being around someone who has Covid-19 and being a bit nasty and lacking compassion about it. It’s not anyone’s fault and isolation is extremely difficult for many. I know that these are kids talking, but I hope that they eventually understand and learn to extend some compassion.
In the meantime, I think the sense of community that this sparked between the kids, isn’t a bad thing. It was nice to see everyone working together and being inclusive which if anything, is a very positive outcome after all that’s gone on in the world this year. As for me, I’m going to try my hand at an educated guess and say that it was Professor Plum, in the library with the wrench.
I wish whoever this is, a speedy recovery and I look forward to seeing all of the kids back in school soon. This just solidified again, that normalcy is a luxury. Stay sane my friends.
The Hopeful Pessimist 