Extracurriculars have been sorely missed
My heart breaks for my kids and all the others who haven't been able to enjoy a key part of the high school experience
As my kids wrap up their March break, I'm struck by a couple of things. One is that they miss their friends dearly. Social interactions aren't the same as PRE-COVID; nothing replaces hanging out with friends in person. The second is how challenging it is to keep kids active and busy during breaks when so many constraints are necessitated by the pandemic. If you're a parent who has survived this March break, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.
I remain wary of the new variants and their propensity to trigger the third wave of COVID -19. That is precisely why we employed an extra dose of caution this March break and did not go out much. We did not want to subject ourselves to the risk. On social media, we saw many friends posting pictures of their families skiing and vacationing at cottages. We elected to keep a low profile. Posting photos of our kids in front of their screens wouldn't have had the same cachet.
As a mother of two high school students, I would be remiss if I did not admit that my heart breaks for my kids, who, along with thousands of others, have forgone so much of what was familiar to them, from hanging out with friends to going to the mall or movies, eating out and so many other activities that would paint the canvas of their teenage years. Hearing Premier François Legault say that at least some extracurricular activities could resume in high schools as of March 15 made my mother-of-a-secondary-istudent heart flutter. My son started high school amid the pandemic. While he is loving school, his teachers and his new friends, he has not yet known high school extracurricular sports, and I would not be honest if I said it didn't make me sad. Meanwhile, my daughter has had to put her own extracurricular activities on hold. I think back to my high school experience and the lessons I learned from playing basketball and rugby in high school. The memories I made and the relationships I built have remained with me ever since. I want my kids to squeeze every bit of juice out of their high school years and create memories to last them a lifetime.
Still, I am wondering whether we can manage to reintroduce extracurricular sports and other activities in schools and still dodge the third wave of this dreadful virus. I'd like to have full confidence that our elected officials are making the right choice and doing what's best for public health, but it's not so straightforward. This past year has felt an awful lot like one step forward and two steps back.
The ups and downs in the number of COVID-19 cases have been a roller-coaster ride. When we have managed to get things under control and then loosened guidelines or encountered a holiday, our cases surged shortly afterward. I am concerned that the combination of this new variant and March break may send the case count upward again. We'll see what the numbers look like three weeks from now. Fingers crossed.
At this point, though, we seem to be moving forward slowly, but surely. Things seem to be progressing well overall with the vaccines. I am thankful to have just booked my father an appointment for his vaccine and am pleased to hear of so many others booking appointments for themselves and their loved ones. The warmer weather will be here before we know it, and I am optimistic that it will bring a sense of relief.
I certainly do not want to speak too soon. Still, if we continue to each do our part, we can hopefully say goodbye to this unprecedented year and climb out of the darkness that has been this COVID winter.