And as we also settle in, and begin to accept that this is not going to pass quickly, I’m noticing a new addition to our interaction that I know everyone else in the world is taking advantage of, as well.
Video conferencing.
FaceTime-ing, Zoom-ing. Whatever your application or preferred device. We didn’t really add that to our repertoire during Week 1, but boy did it hit during Week 2, and it’s gaining momentum.
My kiddos have had more video conferencing in the past few days than they’ve had in several years (or so it seems), and I’ll be the first to admit that there are positives and negatives.
First up...the positives:
I mean, is there anything better than seeing the face of someone you miss?? It’s seriously such a great outlet for connection in these strange times.
And lemme tell ya...there’s nothing cuter in the world than twenty or so kindergartners on video conference together! I mean...I DIE.
Chicklet enjoyed her first conference with her classmates today, and it was just adorable chaos. Though I must say that because most of these cutie pies had a parent close by to help them navigate the software, it was relatively contained chaos, tehe.
Chica on the other hand...now she experienced her first class video conference last Friday. And I can only sum it up by calling it a HOT MESS EXPRESS! Bahaha. I mean, I could not stop laughing (from the sidelines, on mute, of course).
Because, apparently, most kindergartners need parental help for the conferencing, but there appeared to be far fewer parents around to patrol the second graders, so the kiddos were a bit off the rails. Like they’d just been handed a device and set free.
Some didn’t quite understand the advantage of a mute button.
Some didn’t quite understand that they can’t just have a one-on-one conversation with their bestie without including the whole gang.
Some didn’t quite understand that they probably shouldn’t pan the camera around their house to catch their siblings/pets/toys/parents unaware and in action.
I mean...it was hysterical. But still pretty joyful.
It certainly brought some smiles to my kiddos faces, but will be a particular kind of happy/hysterical to-do item moving forward.
Now, for the negatives:
I guess I’m one of the lame (or maybe wise, depending on how you look at it) parents who’s not quite ready to just give my kiddo a device and allow them to video conference without supervision.
I mean, Chica has one very dear friend from McKinney that she still FaceTimes with regularly, since our move, and after several rounds of close monitoring, I’ve gotten to the point where I’ll let her huddle up in her room for some private conversation, but I’ll check in regularly and unexpectedly, set time limits, and because I know this little girl and her Mama so well, I have a lot of trust there.
That said, I’m not at all to the point of letting my kiddos utilize their iPads, unmonitored for these chats. They use my phone, I’m the one to call or accept a call, and will continue to be a gatekeeper in this way for the foreseeable future. So...I lose my phone anytime one of these calls takes place.
The other negative is that I have three kiddos. And if each kiddo had just one classroom call and one FaceTime/friend social call a day (which they would never, under typical circumstances, but the world is very atypical at the moment), that’s a lot for me to monitor! And a lot to juggle, in terms of interruptions to our day!
And lastly...let’s be real. We’re not exactly getting dressed around our casa. It’s pajamas all day, most days, until our pre-dinner outdoor exercise. Hair isn’t getting brushed, the house and the toys within it have often exploded, so finding a location for these video calls where it doesn’t look like a war zone in the background is quite a challenge.
So...in summary.
If last week, our major challenge was finding the balance between assigned-from-school distance learning and our own household brand of distance learning, this week’s major challenge will be to find the right frequency, the right length and the right level of independence to all this video conferencing.
We’ve got to set boundaries in order to keep our sanity!
In other fun news...today’s doodle time activity was just PERFECT for our birthday girl! It happened to be the making of birthday crowns!
My girlie really felt the birthday love this year, and that makes my heart so happy. And to cap it all off, her classmates sang to her on today’s call.
So here’s to technology being a lovely diversion (but hopefully not complete distraction!) moving forward.
Stay healthy, stay sane, peeps.
Over and out.
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