To be a mother in the year, 2021 was no joke. We mothered like we’ve never before!
Breaking out the fancy new planner in January with all hopes and dreams of what the fresh new year may bring—filling those pages, jotting down all the birthdays, important dates, known deadlines, etc. Alas, realizing that it would be another year of many unknowns, I noted most of mine in pencil.
Everyday experiences were flavored with a splash of pandemic protocols, hesitation, protection, and unprecedented scenarios.
Accompanying your teenager to an outdoor concert with vaccine passports in hand.
Attending a baseball game with a negative COVID test needed to get in.
Going on college tours with only one guest and no dorm visits due to COVID precautions.
Air travel and public transportation with masks on our faces.
Dropping your child off at preschool daily, with the inability to enter the building due to enhanced protocols.
Inconsistency may have been the only consistency we were assured of as a mother in 2021.
Protocols and rules often changed throughout the year as scientists learned more about the virus and vaccines became available, albeit with staggered eligibility and interest. Wanting a sense of normalcy, yet still feeling some slight trepidation. Musts, have-tos, and recommendations flip-flopped a few times, and we did our best to be prepared.
School
As 2021 started, my high schooler and middle schooler were on a hybrid schedule. Their schedule was two days in school and three days at home and vice versa the following week. Full-on social distancing, with desk dividers. A new app was introduced with COVID screener questions, such as “Did you travel out of the area in the past two weeks?” Good Lord, I don’t remember what I did yesterday?!
In April, they transitioned to being in school in person five days a week. A full-time remote learning option was available for families who did not feel comfortable going back to school in person. Luckily, when September rolled around, the schools continued with five days a week – no remote option available – with the screener app being eliminated.
Quarantine
Seeing the school phone number is always a source of dread, and COVID added extra angst. As you say “hello,” your head is already spinning with a backup plan. Was my child exposed? Will they have to quarantine? Today is Tuesday, and the quarantine period is ten days (or is it 14?) from the last exposure, which was the previous Friday…so quarantine ends when? Like those math word problems where you determine the distance between two trains depending on speed?
Dining Out
As the saying goes, “location, location, location!” You need to consider where. There is a mask mandate and vaccine mandate in NYC; masks are optional in Westchester County, and Connecticut has a mask mandate. Is there an outside dining option? Heaters? Dining bubbles? Will we be too cold? Has anyone looked at the weather report? The who, where, and when are all dependent on these scenarios.
Work
Remember the simplicity? Children go to school. Grown-ups go to work. Many worked from home for an extended period, but the requests to return to the office were indeed a trend. Employers started slow. Let’s start by coming in one day a week for the first three weeks. If all goes well, we can increase to two days in person for the next month. This one will come in Monday and Tuesday, and that one will come in Thursday and Friday. Hold that thought. The Delta what? Delta, Lambda, Omicron! Forget it! Working fully remote is once again on the table! I guess purchasing a monthly train ticket was a bad idea.
Hanging Out with Others
Do we still do those things? Mask no mask? Do they believe in the same precautions that we do? How do we find out? Relationships are in limbo with those who disagree with your pandemic opinions. A situation that is typically second nature to us human beings became complicated.
Some of us questioned every decision due to the pandemic. Some had to follow rules they disagreed with and were strongly opposed to.
All of this while squeezing in our doctor’s appointments and checkups; acting as a bus driver to/from activities; making sure you have enough Valentine’s Day cards for the whole class; screaming “deodorant” as the kid runs out the door for the school bus that you pray they make; sitting down to finally do some work only to see your password has expired; consistently asking we’re STILL doing these things on Zoom? Fine – where’s the login?; seeing a friend or two once in a while; wondering how we ran out of milk already as you grab your wallet and head to the store; Saturday Night Laundry instead of Saturday Night Live; middle of night pep talks; wondering what the kids would do during the summer; school supply shopping both before and after school starts; sign the forms! sign all the forms!; hoping your daughter’s “friends” don’t forget about her for Halloween; prepping for holiday madness; forgiving yourself for forgetting to check in on a sick relative; balancing guilt and giving yourself grace for not being a better daughter yourself; and watching your babies growing up before your eyes…
2021 was a mother of a year!
We gained hands-on experience in many areas, and our 2021 Mother Resume looks quite impressive! Mathematician, virtual teacher assistant, short-order cook, flexible work environment specialist, customer relations liaison, meteorologist, geography expert, transportation specialist, sorority pledge, technology guru, and master-scheduler for starts.
Twelve months of doing our best to stay afloat in what seems like a neverending pandemic. Moms truly became the juggler of all trades, more so than we already were! Whatever 2022 throws at us – we got this!
But, I’m being honest, I am ready to lower this superstar mothering status down a notch or two. However, I wonder what I’ll do with all that extra time.
