Moms are doing it all during the pandemic: They’re teacher, chef, housekeeper, handywoman.
Tina Knowles-Lawson just wants to be able to hug her grandchildren for Mother’s Day.
Being away from her grandchildren has been the hardest thing for Tina Knowles-Lawson to deal with during the coronavirus pandemic.
Knowles-Lawson — mother to Beyoncé and Solange who also calls Kelly Rowland a daughter — said she has been practicing social distancing for 10 weeks. Now that her entire family has tested negative for COVID-19, she hopes she’ll be able to hug her grandchildren on Mother’s Day.
Following Beyoncé’s recent pledge to support several local organizations with supplies amid the pandemic, KnowlesLawson has created the #IDIDMYPART campaign to encourage Houstonians to get tested for the virus.
The campaign, in partnership with Beyoncé's BeyGOOD, is urging the city’s black community, in particular, to get tested, and events were held last week at several middle schools. Tyler Perry has accepted Knowles-Lawson’s challenge to do the same and will set up his own #IDIDMYPART campaign in Atlanta, as well as Academy-Award winning actress and friend Octavia Spencer, who will launch a similar effort in Mississippi.
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Knowles-Lawson shared her thoughts about her life during a pandemic, what she looks forward to most when things return to “normal” and offers sage advice for moms.
Q: Has anyone in your family tested positive for COVID-19?
A: Not in my family, thank God. But I do know friends that have. One friend in New York came close to dying from it. By the grace of God and prayer, she made it.
Q: How are you personally dealing with social distancing?
A: Up until recently, I had not seen another human being other than my husband for 10 weeks. We went to Beyoncé’s to be tested outside. We all stayed 20 feet apart, and it was really difficult because I wanted to get up close and personal with my grandchildren. But now everyone in the family has been tested. That’s a big deal just to even see them from afar.
Q: What do you want to do most when things return to normal?
A: To be able to see my grandchildren all of the time. That’s the thing I want to do. I want to be able to see people. Hug people. Touch them. Not only my grandkids and my kids but everybody. It’s hard, and I want to go to church. I don’t miss church — if I have to miss church in person, then I see it online. But every Sunday doing it online is not the same as being with a body of worshippers. That’s what I think I miss the most.
Q: Do you think we’ll actually get back to normal?
A: I know that one day they will come up with a vaccine, and this, too, shall pass like every other disease … We will get back to normal. We just have to be as safe as we can. Every person has a responsibility to do their part and not pass this on. That’s the big challenge.
Q: What’s special about Mother’s Day for you?
A: Even before my mother passed when I was 26, it was always a day to pay tribute to someone who has been here since the day you were born. A day of honoring someone who should be one of the most important people in your life. It’s nice to be celebrated and celebrate someone else. I celebrate my daughters on Mother’s Day because all three are mothers now. It’s a fun one for me.
Q: What advice do you have for moms during this pandemic?
A: I know they’re frustrated at home with kids in the background screaming. You’re trying to work, and the kids are climbing all over you screaming, “Mama, Mama.” They make a song out of it. I remember those days, so I really have a lot of empathy. … The blessing in this is that the kids are the blessing, and that this, too, shall pass. You’ll get your freedom back, but right now you just gotta be crazy.
Q: What about motherhood?
A: The biggest advice is that “Do as I say and not as I do” doesn’t work, so you have to set the example because they are going to do as you do. You have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. That’s what I tell young people all of the time. And teach your kids that you have to be cute on the inside. You can’t just be cute on the outside.
Q: Any upcoming projects?
A: Our upcoming gala (for WACO Theater Center in Los Angeles) was canceled, so I’m working on a gala that will be virtual, where we’ll show footage from last year and what we do in our organization. I’ll have all my celebrity friends give me corny jokes. (Knowles-Lawson is known for doing corny jokes on Instagram.) … I also mentor kids, and I’m online every Monday with our kids, checking in and doing projects. I can’t wait to take them on field trips and all of that. We take them to see Broadway shows, etiquette classes and go out to dinner. We take them to museums and have a film camp. We expose them. It’s hard to do that online. I can’t wait to get back to that.
Q. Do you get back to Houston often?
A: My sister passed away in November. So I had been going to Houston regularly. I have another sister who’s 75 whom I need to see. I’ve learned my lesson in all of this: You need to go when you can go, get there from time to time.