Parenting during COVID

 

California is peaking when it comes to COVID. I am currently located in Southern California.   

My family lives a bike ride away. As California has relaxed restrictions, COVID case have gone up. My family of a 27 year old working disabled son and an 81 year old mother does not want to get together in person. They want to FaceTime and Facebook (FB) video message.

My son wants to FB video message and leave it on while we do other things. Sometimes we connect and he watches a movie while I play Animal Crossing New Horizons. Sometimes I do work while he watches something after work. I listen to it and continue to work.

This new COVID behavior is very interesting to me. Previously, he would never connect like this. He was busy working and being social. These days he works at a company that makes hand sanitizer. He is amazingly social on Zoom in a way that I envy.

My Zoom calls are all about work. Sometimes they are "Happy Hours" but usually not. 

We, as a family, have met up on Google Meet. But Zoom and FaceTime are our go to. What fascinates me is the sitting on zoom or messenger while the other person does something else. This is new and fascinating. 

During these sessions we are relating and not relating. We are watching each other. Responding when things require it but mostly keeping each other company.

There are multiple realties related to COVID. At home with too many people. At home alone. And maybe at home with intermittent people coming and going.

My son is truly connecting with me in ways we have not before. I am feeling less alone. Maybe he is too. It took me awhile to get used to this. Previous to COVID, I would have disconnected if he was watching something while video calling me.

Now I stay connected to him and I feel relief. I feel less alone. I feel more motivated to connect to others by video as well. Very strange and exceedingly relevant. I hope to evolve while the virus does. I hope to stay current and responding to changes as they appear to me and as my circle reveals them to me.