When I learned that my kids wouldn’t be returning to school in the way we were all used to, a whirlwind of emotions hit me: fear, anxiety, relief— all mixed together with a rush of adrenaline and a nesting instinct. I stocked our kitchen with essentials like flour, rainbow sprinkles, ice cream, and snacks. My wife and I felt fortunate to have our jobs, despite the uncertainty.
As the school year began, we grappled with Google Classroom and Google Meet for my children’s classes, while figuring out how to conduct P.E. in our dining room—the same space where they did math, ate meals, and where I also set up my office. I became their teacher, trying to tackle 9th-grade algebra (which I had avoided back in my own school days) for the sake of my son. After logging him into his first class, I then turned my attention to my twin daughters in kindergarten, and by 9 AM, I was already feeling drained. Yet, my day as the director of programs for a heart health nonprofit was just getting started.
We opted for a hybrid learning model, sending all three kids to school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays while they remained home with me from Wednesday to Friday. I never anticipated this juggling act, constantly multitasking, shifting meetings, forgetting appointments, and feeling perpetually behind—whether it was worrying about someone’s meal or tackling the laundry. Then my son surprised me by asking when he could get a job or drive. That prompted me to take charge of my kids’ learning in a way that resonated with my own educational philosophy: outside of traditional boundaries.
During the pandemic, I began baking, something I had previously thought was beyond my capabilities. I admired my friends’ baked goods but never imagined I could create them myself. With newfound time on my hands and a desire to ensure my kids’ food was wholesome, I jumped in. I followed Mark Bittman’s recipe and purchased a Dutch oven, and after the first successful loaf, my children began requesting bread weekly. This sparked the idea to teach them how to cook—skills they wouldn’t learn at school.
Typically, I wasn’t the type of mom to let my kids freely roam the kitchen, but the pandemic blurred those boundaries. My five-year-old daughters were overjoyed measuring flour and pouring ingredients, their excitement palpable as they waited for the bread to bake. They couldn’t do this at school, but they could at home.
There was a moment when I felt overwhelmed and decided to take a break. I told my kids I needed a “time-out” and retreated to my room for a moment of solitude. After a mini-tantrum, I returned to my roles as teacher, chef, and mom, sharing with my kids that it was okay to not be okay. This was an important lesson—one they wouldn’t have learned in a classroom.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) emphasizes supporting children’s social and emotional learning during the pandemic. They recommend establishing routines for safety, listening to children, fostering community connections, and integrating social and emotional skill-building into daily life. We talk openly about feelings in our home, and maintaining a routine has been beneficial for me, too.
Our home life shifted dramatically, with my kids taking on more chores and responsibilities. While they initially resisted, they soon recognized the necessity when faced with tasks like washing dishes or keeping their favorite clothes clean. My teenage son, whose room remained mysteriously “clean” behind closed doors, learned valuable lessons about home maintenance. He even painted our fence and did yard work for pay, which led to a discussion about saving and managing finances.
As we move forward, we continue to impart essential life lessons beyond academics: how to set the dinner table, what to do in case of a plumbing issue, and how to balance a checkbook. This summer, we planted tomatoes and peppers, redesigned our backyard landscape, and learned that failure is part of the process. I discovered that hiring professionals for yard work is more efficient than making it a family project, and I’m already brainstorming new lessons for my kids outside the classroom.
One of the highlights of this time at home has been watching my kids play outside more often. They interacted with our elderly neighbor, explored nature, and engaged in imaginative play.
Life may never revert to what we considered normal, but the invaluable lessons our children are learning now—lessons that only we can teach—will stay with them forever.
For more insights on parenting and home education, check out our other blog post here. You might also find helpful information on fertility and pregnancy at Make a Mom and Women’s Health.
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Summary:
Amid the challenges of the pandemic, I have embraced the opportunity to teach my children essential life skills that extend beyond traditional education. From baking bread to managing chores, we have navigated this new normal together, fostering emotional resilience and practical knowledge that will serve them well in life.
Keyphrase: Practical life skills for children
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