A Letter to my Children in April 2020

To my babies,

It is April 8th, 2020. Things are happening. Unique things. History-making things. Bad things. Good things. Scary things. Hopeful things.

I have been reading a lot of posts on Facebook about remembering gas prices and governmental orders and tweets from POTUS and news stories and celebrity Tik Toks, and so I started to think: When you are my age, and you are telling YOUR children about April of the year 2020, what would I want you to remember and pass on?

So here is a list of 10 things.

10 Things to Remember about April, 2020

10. Your father and I purposely kept information from you to protect your little sensitive souls. But, along with your sensitive souls, you BOTH have minds made of sponges. Even with our "protective measures" in place (i.e. not watching the news, spelling important words, making games out of washing our hands, kid language like "the sickness"), you picked up what was going on quite quickly. 

If I had to ask you, son, at five years old, why we can't leave the house, you would say, "Because the Coronavirus is not safe and we need to protect other people from getting sick." Let me dwell on that for a minute, son. Even at FIVE YEARS OLD,  you were able to understand the importance of doing OUR part to protect OTHERS. I will always admire your compassion for others.

Babygirl, if I were to ask two-year-old you why we haven't gone "bye bye" in a while, you might say, "Cuz people feeling sick, Mama." This simplistic idea paints a perfect picture for these times. We are stuck inside, at home, away from family and friends because other people are sick, and we need to protect ourselves. 

9. Today, April 8th, is day 25 of Self-Quarantine for our family, and the best part of each day is when you both wake up, run into my bedroom, and smother me in hugs and kisses. Covid-19 hasn't changed that.

8. Babygirl, I tried to potty train you, and it just wasn't worth your frustration. So we stopped. And that's okay. Also- you are getting really good at reminding me you need Butt Cream for your booty and NOT ice cream.

7. Bubba, although I know you miss Kindergarten and your teacher and your friends, I am blessed and honored to get to work with you at home during this time! You moved up another reading level this week, and the way you "see" numbers is fascinating to me! 

6. We have had time in the last 25 days to do things we normally wouldn't have time to do such as coloring, play-doh, crafts, painting, playing outside, walks, digging up worms, creating "grass salad" for the dogs, digging holes in the backyard to fill with water (that one maybe wasn't the best idea in hindsight), eat lunch outside, snuggle, watch Disney Channel Original Movies from when I was a little girl, Tik Tok, wrestle, giggle, front-yard birthday parties for the neighbors, make silly faces at each other, read, explore, and discover.

5. We have also had time in the last 25 days to ignore things we normally wouldn't ignore such as getting dressed every day (today you are both wearing the same thing you have worn for the past two days), eating breakfast (if you can reach the Cheez-Its on your own, help yourself), bathing regularly (you're just going to go back in the mud outside anyway), laundry (okay, okay, we all know I ignore that on a regular basis), dishes, errands, and chores. Honestly, we are having a pretty damn good time. 

4. Because of this "extra time" you have learned some things about yourselves, and I have had the privilege to watch. Bubba-you LOVE to dance. And you are great at it! You also love to sing! And your memory is astounding! After watching Camp Rock 2 once, you knew all the lyrics to Fire and Rain! And all the dance moves! You also love to play strategy games. Candyland just isn't doing it for you anymore. You prefer games like Checkers, Chess, Connect-4, Guess Who, Trash, and Uno...and you often win! You also love your sister. Not only has your sharing improved in the last 25 days, but your ability to CARE for her has increased as well! You can feed her breakfast, help her get dressed, teach her to write letters and numbers, practice her colors, read to her, and more.

Babygirl, you are fire. That's the word that comes to mind. You have just as much power to warm our souls as you do to burn our spirits! You have learned to be assertive! "No! I do not wike dat!" "Stop it Miller!" You have also learned manners. "Mama can I prees have some milk prees." "Bubba can you help me to color this piture prees?" You have also discovered many favorite things: Purple, Vogels (birds in German), milk, mac and cheese, babies, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

3. Your father and I rely on you to help us stay positive. We are bombarded all day long with the news and constant negativity, and you two are our bright spots during this time. We owe you. Thank you.

2. The technology that exists in this time has provided ways to stay in touch with our friends and families. Bubba, you Zoom with your teacher and friends every week. Babygirl, you Facetime with Grammie every day. We Google Hangout with Grandpa each week. We Snapchat, Instagram, and Tik Tok our lives to others and get updates from them as well. At one point in time, I worried about you and your exposure to all of this technology, but now, in April 2020, I thank God for it.

1. Finally, I want you to remember what your faith was like at this age--ages 5 and 2. You enjoy "watching" church with me on Facebook Live, we continue to pray at dinner (most nights), we read Bible stories and sing worship songs. All of this is the same...maybe a little weaker since you are not in Sunday School anymore. But your prayer life has grown. I want to end by sharing with you three memories of recent bedtime prayers.

Bubba: "Dear God, please help everyone to have better birthdays that don't have to be six feet away."

Babygirl: "Dear Bod, tank you for dis mac and cheese."

Bubba:"Dear God, please help everyone who has Coronavirus to go to Texas because my friend in my class told me there is no Coronavirus in Texas so those people can go there so we can go back to school and go to Target again. Amen."

So, kids, here they are-your 10 Things to Remember, to pass on, to cherish. 

And, on April 8th, 2020, here is an AMEN to going back to Target sometime soon!

Love,

Mama