I think it’s safe to say that Covid has really done a number on all of us, collectively. Life as we all knew it prior to last March looks completely different today – so much has changed. For my family personally, we have really taken the precautions seriously and made strict changes to our daily comings and goings. In all seriousness (and much to my surprise) – my inner introvert has LOVED the social isolation. It’s actually been a relief to me to have an excuse as to why I can’t do this or that social obligation. I’ve always been a homebody and I would choose to stay home rather than go out most days of the week. My children have been another story…
As a mother, my heart has hurt for my babies during this time of massive Covid shutdowns. I have three children, two social butterflies and one true introvert, but they have all had to mightily adjust to the restrictions in one way or another (as have we all). So much has changed in regard to their ability to be social and interact with their peers. I mentioned my children’s personalities because, despite the differences in how they recharge (two are completely amped by the energy they get from others and the third gets her energy from her much-needed alone time), they have all mourned the loss of interactions with their friends. That has been the hardest part for me, as a mom.
It’s so important in a child’s development to have peer interactions. That’s how kiddos learn empathy, reciprocity, self-awareness – in general, how to be a person that other people want to be around. From this year (plus) of social distancing, not only have they missed out on fun with their friends, they’ve missed out on all of that important character development and that’s hard to think about. So much has changed.
Thanks to Zoom and FaceTime and email and phone calls, we’ve been able to keep in touch safely and my prayer is that, with the new vaccine, we’ll start to see life return to some semblance of normal sooner than later. And hopefully our kiddos will bounce back and their resilience will help them make up for the lost year. In time, this past year will be a blip in the greater landscape of all of our lives and we’ll be able to muse about ‘the crazy year of 2020’.
And to all the new moms and dads who have welcomed a new baby this year in the midst of all this crazy…that’s a new level of strong and I salute you. Going it alone has, for sure, been a test. So much has changed…but we’ll be all the stronger for it.
Liz Viernes Photography is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and specializes in maternity, fresh 48, posed and lifestyle newborns and first year milestone portraits.
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