{"id":6983,"date":"2020-07-01T21:37:31","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T21:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/?p=6983"},"modified":"2023-05-11T10:37:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T10:37:17","slug":"lockdown-letter-a-reminisce-about-the-last-three-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/lockdown-letter-a-reminisce-about-the-last-three-months\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown letter – a reminisce about the last three months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the nation on the cusp of the\nbiggest relaxation of rules since lockdown began and with my eldest into her\nsecond week of school, it seemed a good time to reflect on the last three months.\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Sofia, Maria and Gabriella,  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a very strange time we\u2019ve been living\nthrough since March 23rd<\/sup>.  Who\ncould have imagined what was to come when we saw the New Year in with lots of\nfriends and family just 12 weeks before? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not going to school (and the arrival of homeschooling),\nnot seeing family and friends, not visiting lots of interesting places or doing\nour favourite activities and not going to caf\u00e9s and restaurants has all been rather\nodd and rather disappointing. However, it hasn\u2019t been all bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been in our own little bubble with\ndaddy and I both working from home. We eat lunch (often whilst watching Bargain\nHunt or Blackadder!) and dinner together every day instead of just at weekends,\nwhich is lovely. Daddy gets to see you before bed every night; before, that\nhardly ever happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During\nlockdown we have been out walking together so much more. We\u2019ve found so many\ngreat spots and routes right on our doorstep where we\u2019ve discovered friendly horses,\noutdoor apparatus; lots of birds, butterflies and wildlife, and even slushy\nvendors! There\u2019ve been swings that have popped up from nowhere and puzzle trails\nthat have been laid by a thoughtful local resident. I think we have figured out\nevery footpath and short cut there is in Banstead. Who could forget the Town\nand Down<\/a> trail that was meant to be 5.5 miles but ended up being eight!? We\u2019ve\neven joined a tennis club as a family despite the fact I\u2019ve never played before.\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had fabulous weather pretty much the whole of\nApril and May \u2013 the sunniest spring on record in fact. It\u2019s meant that we\u2019ve\nenjoyed the garden to the full. We\u2019ve all helped with making it look nice by\nweeding, planting flowers and vegetables and painting the fence. The sprinkler,\narchery, netball, badminton, tree climbing and hideouts; it\u2019s been our haven. I\ncan\u2019t remember a spring where we\u2019ve been able to spend so much time outside and\nhave so many BBQs and picnics; we even managed to get a few deliveries from the\nice-cream man to our house. The VE Day 75th<\/sup> anniversary<\/a> was an absolute scorcher and I know you all loved\nhaving a \u2018party\u2019 and picnic in the front garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s been plenty of indoor activity too: board games, poker, baking<\/a>, lots of\nfilms, The Shows Must Go On (Phantom of the Opera had you all mesmerised); quizzes\nand Zoom, FaceTime and House party calls to friends have been regular events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack the cat came to us at the very end of April\nand he\u2019s been a fantastic addition to our family and brought so much lockdown\ncheer. It\u2019s clear to see how much love you have for him.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think this time has made us all appreciate what\nwe do have a lot more. We\u2019ve been enjoying spending more time together and\ndoing simpler activities; we\u2019ve realised just how lucky we are to have a lovely\noutdoor space to spend time in at the weekend or to have a break in during the\nhomeschool week. We\u2019re not constantly rushing around to this club, that\nplaydate or that meeting and that\u2019s been great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things we took for granted before have suddenly\ntaken on a special significance. When Nonno was finally able to come and visit it\nwas a major event, as it was when Adam and Lauren visited. When caf\u00e9s and\nrestaurants started opening for takeaway and delivery, we were so excited.\nWalking up to the high street and getting a milkshake was the best thing ever as\nwas getting a home delivery from Five Guys and Fego (one being the Father\u2019s Day\nbreakfast!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been truly amazed at how well you have all\ncoped and your fantastic resilience. There have been very few moans about the\nsituation and it\u2019s been so heart-warming to see you all get on better than ever\nand work together. You have all shown so much kindness and consideration to\neach other and there\u2019s been hardly any fighting or arguing. I think without\nhaving your school friends to see you\u2019ve really appreciated the friendship you\nhave with each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sofia, <\/strong>I feel you\u2019ve\nreally matured in the last 13 weeks; helping around the house without being\nasked, doing things independently like jumping in the shower, sorting laundry, making\ndad and me cups of tea and coffee and even making breakfast for everyone at the\nweekends. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I learnt to stop meddling, you were a dream\nwith homeschooling. You\u2019ve known exactly what you\u2019ve needed to do and just wanted\nto get on with it, so much so your MO was to march\nthrough it all (diligently) so you could have Thursday afternoon and Friday off.\nIt wasn\u2019t all Neflix in your spare time though, you also helped your sisters\nwith their home learning; frontal adverbials stick in my mind. You\u2019ve been a great\nbig sister. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your daily dance routines, making care packages for friends and then going on a long trek to do doorstep deliveries,\nmaking smoothies, music, spas\u2026 these are some of the things I\u2019ll remember.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You started back at school on June 22nd<\/sup>\nand despite it being a very different place to the one you left in March you\u2019ve\ngot back into your stride immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria and Gabby, your already strong bond has strengthened\neven more. I\u2019ve been so thankful that you have each other as natural playmates.\nAlthough you were envious of Sofia going back to school it hasn\u2019t been nearly\nas bad as it could have been as you\u2019ve been able to homeschool and play together\nas best friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s fair to say that homeschool isn\u2019t your\nfavourite thing ever and I sometimes get a little stressed doing my work and\nhelping you both, but you have been fantastic. It was great when we had\nbreakthroughs with things, particularly in maths. I do feel like we\u2019ve all\nlearnt lots.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have been so understanding about not seeing\nyour friends despite the disappointment.  When you\u2019ve had the occasional distanced\ndoorstep visit it has meant so much to you. You\u2019ve both been so inventive with\nyour play; secret hideouts and lookouts in the garden have been your thing.\nGabby, you have become obsessed with gymnastics and you literally cartwheel\naround the house and garden at any opportunity. You\u2019ve perfected the backbend, bridge\nand kickover, and are amazing on the monkey bars! Maria, for you it\u2019s all been\nabout climbing trees, you even have your favourite \u2018climbing trees.\u2019 Your first\nquestion whenever we go for a walk is: \u201cWill there be trees to climb?\u201d You\u2019re\nalso the instigator of the dens and hideouts.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As July 4th<\/sup> approaches, we can hopefully\nlook forward to a bit more \u2018normal\u2019 returning. We\u2019ve all learnt a lot about the\ntrue value of family and friendship and what really matters, which we must not forget.\n  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m very proud of you all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mum xxx<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wish list for post lockdown<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lockdown has improved relationships between parents and children <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the nation on the cusp of the biggest relaxation of rules since lockdown began and with my eldest into her second week of school, it seemed a good time to reflect on the last three months. Dear Sofia, Maria and Gabriella,   What a very strange time we\u2019ve been living through since March 23rd.<\/p>\n

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