With a slight breakout of sweat I make my last sprint. From the front door to the kitchen table. Meanwhile I throw my coat and bag on the floor and try to touch the 'on' button on the coffee machine. Fashionably late I try to log in via Zoom, which somehow always remains a hassle, and plop on the chair. Not for long, because I really need coffee.
I don't know how parents manage it all now. Two children, two different locations and a “clock-in time”. It's not my thing. Especially not because I normally don't have to start until 12:00, so I'm not used to morning stress. Reason I don't know how much why I'm done with this lockdown.
December 2020. It didn't come as a big surprise, but fun is different. Closing the doors again on what we love to do; take care of your children. Now I have often closed the door behind me for a longer period of time, such as before my maternity leave. But such a lockdown, that does something to me.
Because no matter how hard it is for us as parents. I'm sure it's just as hard for a child. It must feel like a 'just not' situation for a child… Yes, schoolwork, but not the feeling of school. In some cases we go to the shelter, but everything is different there too. No sport. No boyfriends. And even at home mom and dad are around, but they don't always have time for you. It's just not it all. And then some children have no sense of time or the realization of what is actually going on.
With a steaming cup of coffee in my hand, I listen intently to the man running our online meeting. Together with a group of colleagues, we are following a meeting about grief processing in children via Zoom. A pretty intense topic at 09:00 in the morning, but I'm grateful to be able to delve into this.
Because where the world seems to stand still for a while, the SKO is working hard behind the scenes to train employees. Every week we can register for one-day or multi-day training courses in various areas. From grief processing to mindset. From work experience to drawings. Everything is covered. If we cannot be with the children, we will make sure that we can do something for you in another way. Because the more knowledge we gain now, the better we can be there for you when we're open again.
Pause. I find myself breathing again. Stories about grief are shared. That connects and deepens. It grabs you by the throat and puts you on the ground with both feet. My mind wanders. Thinking about the children I've had to have such conversations with and may have yet to have. Although I hope that the latter will be a long time coming.
I inhale and set myself aside for part two.
marit,
Educational employee SKO
