The valuable lessons my 5-year-old daughter has given me during the pandemic

Motherhood has taught me many things, but one of the things that has surprised me the most is discovering that, contrary to what I expected, it is children who come to teach us many things about life .

And it is that when we see the world with the eyes of a child, we realize that life, even in the darkest moments, gives us many gifts to be happy. I share with you a personal reflection after almost 60 days of being home due to the coronavirus, and the valuable lessons that my five-year-old daughter has given me during the pandemic .

An exceptional situation

Although now that we are all in confinement, many have realized that staying home with their children is not easy, the truth is that this unique experience is giving us invaluable lessons that we could not obtain in other circumstances .

For those of us who are in quarantine with children, in addition to spending more time with the family, we are also receiving valuable keys from them. While parents are the ones who take care of teaching their children everything they need to know to survive, it is the children who teach us what really matters in life .

After two months locked up at home, I have realized that my five-year-old daughter has become a fundamental pillar to better cope with quarantine. So I share with you some of the lessons that I have given myself, others that have reminded me, and those that you have probably also learned with your children .

It doesn’t take many things to be happy

The quarantine has deprived us of many things: family trips, visits to the grandparents’ house, walks to the park, meals away from home, trips to the movies. Each and every one of these things was part of the basic routine of many families.

Now, we must settle for staying home, but if we look at it from the right perspective, we will realize that although we miss many, it does not take so many material things to be happy.

It is true, we need many of the things I have mentioned, but experiences also take place inside the house that show us that the material things that we do not have now are not needed, and an afternoon of dancing or a night at the movies can fill us up. the heart of happiness.

Stopping or slowing down is sometimes better

The first days of the quarantine were of many mixed emotions. On the one hand, the uncertainty and fear of not knowing what would happen , and feeling that thousands of questions flooded our minds: will we be okay? Will it be enough to protect us?

And on the other, knowing that we would have more time to spend with our children at home , something that due to our fast pace of life we cannot always enjoy and that now we could have, due to the necessary quarantine.

After those first days in which I was in a hurry planning and thinking about how to organize to take advantage of the time together, I realized that my rush for something that did not have a defined end date made no sense .

So I started to relax and slow down . I started to enjoy those late rises that I wanted so much when my daughter went to school, or the movie nights that we can have because we don’t have so many things to do or commitments to fulfill.

And I understood that it is not about finishing faster or rushing things. Anyway we have to wait until all this is over, so we better take advantage of the quarantine, to stop a little more and really live each moment .

There’s nothing a hug can’t heal

I love hugs because it is a way in which our heart expresses itself through our body , to tell another person how much we love them. It is a gesture of love and affection, which says many things in a simple and natural movement.

But as we know, hugs also have healing powers, and now that we are locked up at home, they have become one of the most powerful elements of emotional strength that we have at our fingertips. We hug when we are happy, we sit hugging on the couch when we share a moment together, and we hug when we feel sad or angry.

We have the ability to adapt to everything

Without a doubt, one of the most challenging and challenging parts of quarantine has been having to adapt to a totally different pace of life. Activities like telecommuting, homeschooling children, entertaining within four walls, and much more have definitely not been easy.

However, seeing our children and how brave they have been with everything that is happening, we can realize that although change can sometimes be scary or full of uncertainty, we have the ability to adapt to many situations that we did not have contemplated. .

Life is better when you take it with humor

If there is one thing I love about children, it is their sense of humor. In their innocence, they see life in a more simple, fun and joyful way , something that undoubtedly comes in handy in situations like the one we find ourselves living.

It is true that what is happening is a serious matter and we must take it responsibly, following the indicated prevention measures. But inside the house, to make confinement more bearable, taking things with humor can help us a lot to have a more positive and lighter emotional state .

Everyday moments are the most significant

And finally, something that we have always known but that sometimes we tend to forget: the value and importance of everyday moments . It is true, a trip helps us create unique memories with our children, but the times at home are those that remain forever etched in the minds of our children.

A movie marathon in bed and falling asleep together, a morning cooking breakfast slowly and listening to The Beatles, an afternoon of board games in which laughter was unnecessary, finding little treasures that we did not remember we had, special moments like the fall of teeth or mastering a new skill.

Those are the little things that our children will remember from their childhood, and that will remain in their hearts forever . Not the material things or the news that surround us: what happens at home and in the family.

So although the scenario outside our homes is not the most optimistic, within them wonderful things and life lessons continue to happen that help us to unite more as a family and value what really matters.

Photos | iStock
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