The pandemic has changed the way our relationships have evolved in the last few days. Unfortunately, it is not treating everyone the same way. While, some of us have been lucky enough to have food, clothing and shelter, some of us are not that fortunate.
At presently, I reside with my husband, kids and in-laws at Mumbai, whereas my parents are in a suburb in Mumbai, and my brother is residing in Banglore. So, we are all kind of together, and yet, far away. This pandemic has been hard on anyone and everyone in different ways, and so has it on me. My children are 6-years-old and 1-year-old. During the initial days, it was fun to handle them because I did not have to go outside, but, slowly, as days pass by, even their anxiety levels have started increasing.
I am trying my level best to keep them engaged, but yes, sometimes, I do lose my patience with them. I am a ‘solo-preneur’ and I work from home. That means every department of my work is taken care of by me, wholly and solely. The pandemic has only created fear in our lives. Initially, there was too much confusion in the society and the instructions were not very clear. The initial days were tough to make my son understand why he cannot go down to play with his friends. Yes, this may not seem like a major crisis to many but for me, at a personal level, it was a huge crisis; handling, their meltdown, which would happen at the most crucial times.
This is not a time to compare our problems but to share how we dealt with the smaller issues ourselves instead of blowing it out of proportions.
There were two major events that were scheduled to happen in the month of April and May.
- My daughter’s first birthday celebrations
- My brother’s wedding was scheduled for May.
So we had a ‘quarantine birthday’ at home, with a jugaad cake, made using a readymade bar cake from the store and covering it with chocolates and jelly. I dressed up my little doll in a frock that a friend had bought and used angel wings, which I had bought for a fancy dress competition in the month of January. We used the old decorations that we had from my son’s birthday. The children were happy and that is what mattered to me a lot.
My brother’s wedding was scheduled for May 3. He is presently in Banglore, staying with another friend. Unfortunately, he is stuck there and there is no means to get him back to Mumbai without any significant risk. We decided to postpone the wedding until everything is back to normal. So on May 3, when my parents were feeling low, my cousins and uncles and aunts, decided to be together virtually. We had planned a huge gala that evening and ended up in having an online chit chat and celebration.
Yes, the pandemic has helped me realise the value of relationships. It has made me a stronger person and helped me become a stronger glue to the family.
The pandemic has atleast brought my family together.