Many of us are preparing for another (or first for some) week of working remotely, not working at all and/or homeschooling our children while schools are closed as a result of COVID-19. Last week was pretty rough in our household, not because teaching our child is outside the normal, but because this situation itself is truly a lot to deal with. I wrote a few schooling from home tips based on day 1, however, also learned as the week went on that we needed to be flexible.

I’m one of the “lucky” parents who has the ability to work remotely vs. being out of work and losing wages or having to commute in the midst of the pandemic, but none of us are lucky in this scenario. Across the world, we are dealing with the unknown. All we know is what is being reported by the media and delivered in remarks by government officials and experts, and that’s a scary feeling no matter what side of it you’re on.

As adults, some of us are terrified of this unknown virus that has taken the world by storm because we don’t want ourselves, love ones or anyone else to be infected, others are skeptical of how much we’re being told and not told, and some simply don’t care at all because they think it’s all a conspiracy. I’m personally taking it seriously because people are dying across the world from something we truly aren’t in a position to fight. I don’t care how few deaths there appear to be in comparison to the cases, one death is honestly too much when it’s something we have no defense against.

That being said, I urge everyone to do what’s best for their own families during this time. This means listening to your children and adjusting as needed. My daughter told me last night that she misses going to school with her friends and her weekly dance class. She had a hard time staying focused last week when she’s generally an honor student, because this whole situation is even scarier for children. While it may feel like a break from school, most kids understand that they aren’t home because the schools decided to give them an extra break.

Instead of starting her school day at the normal time, I’ve become more flexible to allow her to sleep longer, which in turn gives me some uninterrupted time in the morning to perform the duties of my role remotely. Once she’s awake, she has the freedom to pick the assignments she wants to focus on, with my guidance on deadlines and how many she should accomplish daily. It took us a while to get into this groove, but we are figuring it out.

So far, my daughter has received praise from two teachers on work she turned in last week. My original plan consisted of me mapping out what she needed to complete each day, but I have to pivot because that wasn’t really what worked for us collectively. I also allowed her to have a version of gym once she mentioned missing gym class. We jumped rope, hula hooped and she rode her bike for a little to keep her active. On Tuesday, we will be having dance class, where she will teach me the routine she’s been learning all year to keep her going on that.

Many of us have at least two weeks left of this “new” normal setup, if not longer. The best we can all do is make sure our families are staying safe and healthy, and doing what’s best for our households. Above all else, please listen to your local officials. If they’re saying stay home, please stay home.

I’d love to know what’s been working in your households as well, so feel free to chime in via comments or social media shares.