Back to School 2021!!

I am quite happy to report that our Alice is back to school in person! Masks and all but she's in class! Do you know it has been over 500 days since school was closed from March 13, 2020?  Three days in I can report that we have a very happy child who gets to play with her best friend during recess every day and eat with her too.  We actually hear about what she does in class and she shares Good News and Bad News with us about what happened during the day. Our kid is not a verbal processor so we expected her to be very quiet and tried not to ask her a lot of questions but she surprised us! A happy surprise! 

Is she scared or traumatized or anything wearing a mask to school? NOT AT ALL. She's used to it. I feel like it's us as parents who are responsible for not making them afraid. We can equip them with tools to handle feelings of fear or concern and this is not a concerned or fearful child. If wearing a mask means she gets to go to school with all her friends then so be it.

Of course, I'm very much looking forward to her not having to wear one anymore and all of us as well but right now this is the easiest thing we all can do to keep each other safe. It's only temporary. I know it feels forever but it won't be. And look at Los Angeles. We had terrible numbers and strict rules but we abided by them and got vaccinated and now we live mostly able to do anything. Ball games, conventions, concerts, movies. It felt long at the time but now feels so temporary that people act like they've already forgotten the strict lockdown times. This too shall pass.

I did tragically lose a cousin to COVID on Sunday and it's just so surreal having to hear about it and not be together with my family in Mexicali and mourn together. That's just so hard in these times. How we just go this pain alone and isolated and a death becomes a statistic. He was not a number or a statistic. He was loved and special and our family. And we'll never get to be with him in person ever again.

Please be safe out there. Be prudent. Be wise. 

Who the son sets free is free indeed.