The twist

But not all this togetherness is grim.

“To be honest, what I expected at the beginning of being home together and where we ended up are quite different things,” says Chloe*. “I thought my daughter would have a fit and forget things, that I’d be dragging my son to do his school work and I’d be struggling with work, but that hasn’t happened.”

Kids everywhere seem to have risen to the occasion, lighting the way for us adults. Niki Harding told us, “I’ve enjoyed having the kids around. I’m super impressed how well they adapted. It has actually motivated me to be a better person, mum and confidante.”

What has happened for the likes of Sally, Chloe, Niki and many others is that they began to reconnect with their families, taking time to play a bit of football or work on a puzzle. Cups of tea and internet calls with friends from across the globe replaced busy calendars. People started to really talk and reconnect, sometimes if only with themselves.

The Easter break was tough, though: two long weeks with no playdates and nowhere to go. The mere thought of it had me in a bit of a cold sweat. Instead, we enjoyed taking the dog for long walks. (Nobody likes this whole situation more than all the dogs out there!) And my kids loved learning life skills. They baked bread, built shelves, used the sewing machine, made dinner, perfected an omelette and, yes, even cleaned the toilets. They were just happy to be doing things together.

I’ve also taught my kids something that the mother of American TV icon Mr Rogers taught him. She said: when something bad is happening, look for the helpers. My kids have learned to appreciate those in the healthcare industry, the grocery store workers, the delivery people, the cleaners, the taxi drivers, and all those on the front line helping us.

And that, my friends – all this togetherness and the thankfulness – is actually one of the silver linings of this awful situation. Turns out, we really are better together than apart.