It has been a roller coaster of emotions during the past two years due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. These emotions have been so complex that it is hard to actually describe in words as so much has been taken away from us. This is my pandemic story.
We all feel that we can earn and get things back but we truly feel that we have lost precious time which can never be returned. Teaching your child to fly a kite, ride a bike or simply interact and make friends has become impossible to do during the pandemic. Living in fear that your family might get the virus has been nerve-wracking and exhausting but this is reality.
I remember sneezing before and always heard someone telling me "bless you" after I said excuse me. Now it is totally different, if I sneeze I literally see people run away from me like it's not a normal thing.
Friends feel so distant as the only social gathering we have is online. Life brings us to situations that at times we truly feel lost as we were not ready, not prepared, not equipped for what we believe the situation truly needs.
As we try to look back at how the two years went by, we realize that we missed out on so many experiences due to the pandemic.
Remembering the good times
I became a dad in 2016 and have been super happy to be blessed with a son and a very loving wife. I always wanted to travel the world with my family and got my son his passport when he was just 3 months old.
My family traveled to Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia and even went on local trips to Cebu and Boracay. We loved going to different places and making memories by doing things together.
Remembering the first time my son put his feet on the sand of a beach and happily enjoyed the ocean always put a smile on my face as I saw him enjoy every bit of it. These moments have been taken away from us as parents for now as we live in times of COVID-19.
My parents have always taught me not to live in fear and try to live life to the fullest. I also do wish to teach this to my son but realized its limitations during the pandemic.
Lockdown
When a lockdown happened on March 17, 2020, it was the first time we actually realized the freedom we had taken for granted was suddenly taken away in order to protect us from the virus.
We were happy and blessed that we were near family and everyone was at home and safe. At the same time, we felt threatened and unorganized as we had no control over how long this virus would last and if there will ever be a light at the end of this dark tunnel.
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Pandemic story: Being a parent
As a parent, I totally felt depressed as I could not do the activities I love to do with my child. That's right, no more going out to the grocery, no more playing in the park, no more going to the cinema, and most of all no more socializing with anyone (neighbors included).
I could feel the emptiness in our life as I felt that I was depriving my son of living normally even though I knew that this was being done because of a virus that had no cure at that time. I was not okay with it and was not happy.
As a 2-year-old, my son showed a lot of signs of creativity that he wished to create his own YouTube channel. This is how @overmydadbodyph (Youtube/IG and FB) was created.
This all happened during the pandemic as my son wished to show to his family and friends what he was doing and the fun he was having which brought him joy even though they were not with him.
I actually became his cameraman and helped him make the videos. This was our bonding time which replaced all the other activities that we could not do like visit Timezone or go to a toy store or even go visit our relatives nearby. Even though we did not get to do the normal dad-son bonding activities, we decided to create new ones.
What we worry
My wife and I were worried about the screen time that my son was having as the only way to communicate were not through a screen.
School time, work time, and chill time were all screen time so my wife tried to find new ways to also change creative time away from the screen.
This is where she came up with art activities and other non-screen-related games for kids in which our son was our true inspiration. She then decided to help other parents too and created the IG acct @thecrazymomph
Parenthood has been challenging ever since day 1 for anyone. Even though things have gotten easier with technology, we always have to look at the positive and find new ways to be creative as a parent.
We need to accept change, we need to understand and learn from these experiences and learn to live with positivity even during these crazy unpredictable pandemic times. Always remember that no virus can dim the light that you always have shining from within.
As parents, we have a responsibility to always take care of our children. No matter how hard and difficult life is, we need to be fearless for our kids and make sure that they are always safe and healthy.
It is okay not to be okay with what is going on in today's world. It is okay to have your own opinion. Make sure that no matter what happens, you always keep the environment positive so that your child grows up strong and happy.
A big salute to all parents out there, we know what we are going through but we all know that like our parents, we will get through it together.