Is it a three year old going outside to play in his neighbourhood but can’t meet his neighbours because we don’t know who’s infected or not? Is normal fist pumps from a distance from my cousin when it used to be hugs? Is normal a three year old having to stop so daddy can put on his mask before entering the store? For my son it is. This is his normal.

I will have to adapt to my new normal. It’s what we do well.

My son will never know the difference. He will build on this year. My son will narrate this as his normal. My son starts junior kindergarten next week and inside, I’m so anxious for him. This isn’t normal. But I’m also super excited for my son. Because that is/was the normal. I was looking forward to dropping him off and being with him to see his classroom on his first days. I was hoping for those same experiences that our parents had with us. Traditions are normal. I want normal. It saddens me that my son and I are missing out on these “firsts”.  

Adapting is becoming the new normal.  Creative solutions are becoming the new normal. Our kids deserve to have normal first time, schooling, experiences. I suppose they still are! Well you know what I mean.

The older kids are obviously aware of the new normal and the changes that are happening around them. I can only speak of my experience and with my son. Until COVID-19, I have truly enjoyed every first time experience with my family. But for now and for the time being, I know the next few first time experiences will be weakened.

The upside is that as I rebuild myself, this new normal is complimenting my journey. To me, rebuilding means starting all over from scratch. It’s my second chance. But I know this time as I build myself back up, there is wisdom to draw on. This new normal is my journey and it’s my son’s too.

What I am learning about myself on this journey is that I can appreciate the humility I am experiencing. I am adapting to this new normal and realizing that it is becoming exciting and fun because I am sharing it with my son. Because of a pandemic, this life has changed all of us. But I am learning to experience the world through my son’s eyes and he is showing me that this first time is still normal and so cool!