Quaranteaming!

When the "stay at home" executive order expired on Friday, May 15th, our very social family was officially in an emotional and social funk. The kids missed being with their friends. They missed sleepovers and birthday parties. They missed seeing their teachers. They longed to interact with kids on the soccer or flag football field or at cheer. They no longer wanted to engage with anyone virtually. They were Zoom-ed out!

Josh and I were drained from trying to productively home-school our kids while also working out of the same house. We were also worried about our livelihoods. Most of Josh's business contracts (even those in escrow and would lose their earnest deposits) terminated when the "stay at home" executive order was initiated. Many of my clients had filed for the Payment Protection Program (PPP) Loans, but some still ultimately had to lay off employees in order to keep their businesses afloat. Global and statewide uncertainty doesn't usually spur business development or growth. Two things that both of our careers depend upon.

The weather was starting to get warm, so we were spending more time indoors and hiking and exercising less. Thankfully, the kids still had the pool, but my physical routine had come to a halt. Screen time for everyone was at an all time high which meant that we all needed to work harder to be kind and patient with each other. And shopping online for groceries was becoming increasingly more difficult. This just added to the frustrations and stress that we were already experiencing.

As a family, we were also dealing with negative and worried thoughts around death and dying. Madilyn's 4th grade teacher passed away at the end of April from non-related COVID-19 causes. That was a heavy conversation to have with my ten year old who had just attended "class" with her teacher the day prior. Then, there was Aiden, who attempted to run away one night because his was consumed with thoughts of death and the affects of the virus. Apparently, he still had unresolved feelings around Great-Grandpa (GP) Stan's death and he thought running away would make them go away. That is a night I will soon not forget.

Sheltering-in-place was a very messy and anxiety filled time for our family. Hell, I was so stressed out that I was losing chunks of hair in the shower. I really thought I had something wrong with me! Really!! I scheduled a thorough health check to make sure that all was good. Blood tests and all. All is good. Just needed less stress in my life.

So, when we had the opportunity to broaden our quarantine boundaries and invite other families into our bubble or also referred to as your "Quaranteam," we did. We realized, that for our own sanity, we needed to balance some of our family's emotional and social needs while also being cognizant of mitigating the risks associated with the pandemic. We have kept our circle small and have only interacted with a couple of families. We keep each other in the loop of what we are what we are doing and what exposures we may have had to the virus. We all entered into a Quaranteam social contract and it has allowed all of us a little more social support and mental relief. It really was a game-changer. Instantly, all of our moods changed and as a family we were able to cope with the uncertainties that this virus would still create in the months to come.

Dinner, movie, birthday cake and swimming with the Pattees