Chapter 14: Connecting While Distanced: Four Lessons I Learned

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck I was on maternity leave from my position as a university instructor of education. My thoughts were occupied with when my baby boy last ate, had a diaper change, and slept. I was just getting to the point of periodically going to the gym or meeting up with friends when everything changed. Both my older son who was in third grade and my husband, a biology teacher, were now at home with me learning and teaching asynchronously. In some ways, having all my boys at home was a gift: They were safe, and someone could watch the baby if I needed to go to the bathroom. In other ways, having everyone home was quite challenging: I was not just a source of physical nutriment for the baby, I was the primary source of mental nutriment for my older son.