Mark my word. For so many of us, March 13th (which was Friday the 13th) on or about was the last day that many walked into their work building. That day will come around again before many of those same people will enter those doors again.

That’s my prediction. I’m taking wagers if you don’t believe me. It’s been mentioned before that the goal to have a vaccine is the end of this year (end of December). I haven’t checked but I don’t think we are there yet. They are making great strides but many trials have to be completed prior to officially announcing a vaccine.

So without that vaccine, hear me and hear me good. Some folks HAVE to go to work! Even though many of us stopped, so many others labeled as ESSENTIAL never missed a beat. They’ve been working this entire time at the worksite that is. While others returned as their states began to reopen. Now that we are open, there has to be an option for those parents. That’s just reality…not emotion.

So where do we go from here? Pause…let me be clear that I’m only speaking from our current stance which is the fact that the U.S. has majorly reopened under conditions (I.e. social distancing, limited populations, and mask guidelines, etc). I know I know. Many would like for us to put the brakes on our current course and return to a “closed” state. That is beyond the point of this post as there are too many faucets that would have to be addressed which would be too much for one blog honestly.

I will say this. Complaining about the decisions others are making won’t solve anything either. As nice and blunt as I can say this. People sitting at home can’t constantly complain about folks doing the work to make the decisions. Want your voice to be heard, get out there and make your voice heard.

But you know who I personally won’t listen to about schools reopening? Folks on social media that don’t have no school age kids, that’s who! Or better yet, folks that don’t even have kids. UNLESS they are medical professionals. I’m just saying. Sorry y’all, I think I digressed there briefly. Had to get that out. Now back to the issue at hand.

Know this…it is NOT a one-size fits all solution for schools. What works for New York City won’t work for Miami and vice versa. What works for a big city won’t work for a rural area. Nor will your best course of action work for me. So we all have to understand that leaders within these school districts have to make the best decisions for all kids within their area of responsibility. It won’t look the same so please let us relax on the comparisons.

How can we help with our current predicament? I’m so glad you asked. Well personally, I believe if you have the ability to keep your kids at home this school year meaning for them to learn virtually because your company has decided to remain closed physically but not effectively. If you are teleworking from home, which is a true blessing by the way; consider keeping your babies home.

You need a break? Well of course, we all do. You can’t teach the kids? Well of course, most of us can’t. Your kids need social interaction. Well of course, so do mines. I’m the only introvert in my house. Imagine how that feels. I don’t ever have to leave the house and I’ll be just fine. For the others, not so much. However, there are things we can do to assist in daily outside activities if we think outside the box.

Me keeping my kids at home, besides driving me crazy, what does that do? Well, it allows those essential employees to send their kids into the schools. It limits the amount of kids in the schools, so it limits the number in the classrooms. This allows for the teachers to adequately spread out desks to gain the recommended 6ft of distance. And that allows for the kids to have masks as chin guards alleviating the concerns of wearing masks all day. So many more benefits to this than negatives (in my opinion).

What about the benefits to the family unit? Not to speak on any dysfunctional families where abuse may reside. Bare with me because if I go down every avenue, I’ll never finish writing. For a “regular” household, this will continue to strengthen that family unit. Parents that usually worked outside of the home that will continue to telework, will also continue to get to know these other sides of their children and vice versa the kids will learn more about their parents.

For me as a working parent, I couldn’t have ever imagined ever being home with my kids beyond the 2 weeks I take off of work at Christmas time. Yet here I am, over 4 months later. I’ve discovered so many neat things about both of my kids that wasn’t noticeable especially with their learning abilities. All this time I thought my daughter was lacking in science and technology type assignments or interest. However, through a virtual STEM camp I enrolled them in, I discovered she is quite an inventor.

Every home isn’t as fortunate. For a moment, let’s consider the kids that NEED to go to school. For so many kids, school is their safe zone. It’s the place they can go, in order, to hide from their abuser. School is where they have friends that are like family. Sometimes school is the only place where love is felt. And for some, this is where their meals come from. Sigh. And what does the old adage say about an idle mind? It claims an idle mind is the devil’s playground. Our kids can’t take a year off and just stop learning. We have to keep them mentally engaged. Bottom line, the schoolhouse provides so many benefits for so many kids.

Trust I’ve read your comments, your questions, and your concerns. How you are feeling right now is so real. But can I tell you something else? Let me just put this out there. Regardless of what the country says it will do (stay open or close) and regardless of what the school does (delay a start, stay closed, fully reopen); REALITY will make the final call. If our kids return to school and unfortunately if some get sick and classes are affected, chance are great that the schools will have no choice but to shut back down.

Sometimes people have to be made into believers…

Thanks for your attention. Remember you are your own competition.

Competition of 1