Everyone on social media tries to put their best foot forward. It makes sense! Most people aren’t really willing to share everything about them on social media, and that’s probably a good thing in a lot of ways. The problem with that, of course, is that now everyone is walking around thinking they are inferior because they don’t have the picture-perfect life, marriage, or family that everyone else has.
Let’s be honest and just put it out there-we are all struggling through this awkward time in the world. Parents are trying to give their kids normalcy, but there isn’t much to be found. Spouses are spending more time together than ever before, but that isn’t always easy either. So, in honor of the struggle, I present to you my Top Ten Corona Confessions. Yeah, we have some good things going on in our household-what is happening behind the scenes that is maybe not so Insta-worthy?
#10: I’m pretty sure my son just ate apple pie for breakfast for the second straight day. I’m also pretty sure we didn’t stop him. Let me clarify though-he was not allowed ice cream on top. I mean seriously, what do we look like?
#9: I have been staying up past midnight pretty much every day for the last week. I know there’s nothing good happening past midnight, but I don’t have the normal routine dictating that I have to get up at 5:20 in the morning. Even when I do work for school, I sleep in because I don’t have to drive 52 miles and pack up lunch before I go. Last night I went for a run at 11:00 PM. My routine is a mess.
#8: I let my daughter play on a playground about a week ago. She was touching everything. I mean like everything. She’s like that GIF going around of the girl licking the handrail. She didn’t lick the handrails at the playground this time, but she sure did take that squeaky dinosaur rocker for a trip.
#7: We didn’t watch a church service as a family. I’m not sure why-it’s not like we didn’t have time. How ridiculous is it that we can watch Home Safari from the Cincinnati Zoo religiously every day but not do anything actually religious? I’ve been doing podcasts on my own but no family worship. Maybe that’s part of the problem with churches doing kids church separately-I get around the kids in a church environment and don’t know how to act. (It’s totally my fault so please don’t take that as me blaming anyone-it is just a different dynamic.)
#6: My family has too much toilet paper. My wife went to Kroger a week and a half ago, and was debating whether we had some at home or not. She walked by the aisle and a worker told her to buy some because there wasn’t any in the back. Like a good customer, she obliged. She then got home, told me the story, and we looked in the garage. Sure enough, we had some already. We aren’t hoarding, but we’re good for a while.
#5: My wife is a fantastic homeschool teacher. I am awful. “What is wrong with you? Didn’t you learn that in kindergarten?” I should just be banned from homeschooling. It’s such a different dynamic. I need to give a shoutout to all the people who are negotiating this new school life successfully.
#4: The kids go outside to play nowadays and my wife and I are really pretty much leaving them to do whatever they want. Yesterday they were climbing trees (editor’s note: my kids can’t climb trees). My first reaction was “It just rained. The ground is soft. They need exercise.”
#3: My screen time analysis on my iPhone (thanks, Apple, for reminding me of how much time I’m on my phone) was a little bit ridiculous. “Your screen time increased by 57% this week.” Well what did you think it was going to do, Apple? Huh? Answer me! In other news, I should probably stop talking to my phone.
#2: My family has failed in the social distancing department twice. Once, our dog got out and jumped on the neighbor girl. My son ran over and saved the day. The second time, a boy was playing with a bouncy ball and it got away. My son ran over and saved the day. Notice a trend? Whatever. He was never good at social distancing anyway.
#1: I need to end with a serious one. I’m finding myself getting angry about little things. I don’t know if it’s the stress of the situation and the world we live in, but I also know that the problem isn’t new either. Everything could be going pretty well in the world and I could still lose my marbles about something ridiculous one of my kids does or something I disagree with my wife about. I’m struggling. I can put on a happy face (and I am generally happy even in the midst of this mess), but there are times where I am not doing my job as father and husband.
We aren’t always what our social media accounts say we are. It makes me feel really inferior to say it, but the good news is that none of us are. Give yourself some grace. Try to face your problems together. Admit it when you are struggling and seek help. We’re not meeting in person, but that doesn’t mean we can’t face the world as a team. I know I need it. Do you?