BLOOMING

Everything is blooming! Are you lucky enough to still have access to the outdoors? Where I live I am able to go for a walk in the neighborhood, as well as spend time in my yard/garden.

Over the weeks of social distancing and isolation I have noticed huge differences – first snowdrops and crocuses, then daffodils, tulips and muscari. Our flowering plum tree is flowering like mad and leaves are beginning to appear on all the trees. It makes me feel so much better to see all these thriving plants and trees.

If you are not so lucky, consider growing something, even if it’s small, just to see growth. Children are thrilled to see little seedlings popping up. Use an egg carton for planting seeds. Put the top of a carrot on a saucer with a little water and see greenery appear.

Spring is the season for growth, and it lifts our spirits to see it or be part of it.

ABILITY

We all know every single person – adult and child – has different abilities. As parents we may be discovering we have great abilities to cope with being at home with our children. If we have little kids, we might find we are in our element, coming up with wonderful art and craft activities to enjoy together. Older kids? Perhaps helping with school work is no problem. Or we might find the reverse; that staying home with our children is taxing our abilities to the limit. We may not be arty; we may find we have no patience, or lack the ability to help with school work.

Wherever you are on this spectrum, just know you are not alone. Some are doing great, but many, many others are struggling. You may feel you are the only one. Look at your social media where you see stories of parents and families doing wonderful things while cooped up. They are the exception. Generally we don’t post the bad, sad or unsuccessful aspects of our lives, and what we see is a false narrative.

What can we do? Do the job we have to do to the best of our abilities, and know that we are not perfect. No one is. Just do the best you can.

This is a very different Earth Day as we all shelter at home and practice social distancing when we do venture out. However, I do think we should mark the day in some way, even if just singing a couple of songs with our children.

Here is my EARTH DAY podcast – with two songs and a short story to help us celebrate and remember Earth Day.