I had some stories I was going to write-up a couple of weeks ago. And then the world imploded and it seemed weird to write about events that happened before everything shut down. But I didn’t have anything to say about life in the Pandemic. So I wrote nothing. Seems time to rectify that, so here we go.
Here is a list of every fun thing my incredibly privileged sons could be doing or learning to do during their shelter-in-place at our house:
- reading
- writing
- playing video games
- working logic puzzles
- throwing pottery on a wheel
- slab or coil building pottery
- firing a kiln: electric, gas, or wood
- stained glass
- glass fusing
- bottle slumping
- bottle cutting
- jewelry making
- painting
- quilting
- sewing
- machine embroidering
- knitting
- crocheting
- felting
- Kumohimo braiding
- 3D printing
- coding (computer programming)
- archery
- basketball
- four square
- treadmill
- stationary bike
- laying outside in a hammock
- gardening
- cooking
- baking
- playing with the dog
- playing the cello
- playing the keyboard
- working jigsaw puzzles
- playing board games (we have hundreds!)
Here is a list of everything they are actually doing:
- playing Terraria together on the ps-4
- playing video games on the laptop or Kindle Fire or cellphone
- watching Netflix
The eleven year old is also, when pressed to get off screens, sometimes building some KiwiCo kits he got in the mail over the last few months. And playing with the dog more than usual and helping bake some. And the sixteen year old is fond of sleeping. But that’s it.
So forget all your free virtual tours of museums and other cool stuff that everyone is sharing online. My kids have more variety available to them than I would wager any other people on the planet, and they. Won’t. Take. It.
I hope someday they look back and see how unique their existence was. And how much they squandered the possibilities. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to that 2000-piece puzzle I’ve been working mostly on my own. Then I’ll make some more progress on the quilt. And the book I’m reading. Oh, and that bottle of wine. 😉
mybrightspots 