As one of my favorite authors, Glennon Doyle, always says, “We can do hard things!” This year has been full of hard things, hard decisions, and hard conversations. I feel like we are all a little beat down but also a little stronger too.
One of the latest 2020 hard things has centered around school. Do I homeschool? Do I do full online school? Do I choose my district’s distance learning option that allows them to go back when schools open? All the things. A lot of parents have had to find childcare if both parents work outside the home, find childcare to help while they work inside the home, work from home alone with their kids, or even make a difficult decision to not work. Every family is navigating rocky choices and decisions and making the best choice for them.
By now, most families have made their decision since school has already started or starts soon. For me and my family, I made the difficult choice to leave my teaching job at a place that is near and dear to my heart. I have spilled many tears over the decision, but at the end of the day I feel at peace. New opportunities and blessings will come my way, and I get to help my first grader navigate distance learning in a more peaceful manner.
Another hard thing I’ve been doing is organizing all the toys and junk that my kids somehow seem to find and hide in the strangest places! I want to be organized and ready to go for this school year (knowing full well that the organization may only last a hot second). My husband and I will be setting up a work space for my first grader next to my desk, and I am determined to make it a cozy little space that he is excited to work in.
The final hard thing I’ve been focusing on is my attitude. 2020 has made it easy for all of us to have bad attitudes, but attitude and mindset are everything. I am determined to do the hard work of shifting my attitude (at least 80% of the time…it’s ok to be real and feel things) for my kids. Distance learning is going to be challenging (I have already bought several bottles of wine at Trader Joe’s to prepare), but we can do hard things. I am here for it, and I’m ready to make it the best situation for my first grader as possible. I am here to support my son’s teachers. I know they are working so hard to prepare and love all of our littles from a distance.
So as you enter the last 5 months of 2020, tell yourself “We can do hard things!” We can and we will.