Chapter 5: Pandemic Homeschooling and Decisions Made of Care and Fear

The school bus barrels down the hill, autumn leaves kicked up as it speeds by, delivering children to the K–12 public school by 7:47. I hear one of my twins whisper, “Mommy! Snuggle!” before he climbs into bed with me to start off his day with a cuddle. I slowly work on opening my eyes, rubbing the sleep from the corners, to the new reality that has emerged around me in 2020. I wake up to this new reality and new routines where things do not look the same. Sleeping in past 6 A.M. as well as not having to rush my children onto that school bus are welcome changes to our lives, especially since my insomnia has gone off the rails during the pandemic and many of my work hours have shifted to after my kids go to bed.