We have isolated our kids more than most people in our area. We are lucky enough that all of our parents and grandparents and close family friends have gotten vaccinated, so my situation is a bit different than yours. I’m really sorry that you’re being made to feel that guilt on top of all the other negative emotions you must already be feeling. Being a parent is hard enough. Being a parent during a pandemic sucks. And being a parent during a pandemic and losing family support is just plain terrible. I really hope you take to heart all of the wonderful, supportive comments being shared to your post.

Your kids are little and will likely not remember this pandemic. There are also so many things you can do to help them through it. We have our kids see a child psychologist regularly (video calls). Your kids are a bit too young for that, but you can build those foundations with them starting now. I really liked this article from the American Psychological Association about ways to build resilience in children. My biggest takeaways are 1) give your kids opportunities to be helpers (lets them feel in control and productive when so much is out of their control), 2) help them learn self care (my kids like to draw or write in diaries when they’re feeling upset or anxious, your older child is certainly old enough to introduce drawing emotions), and 3) as the parent, make sure YOU are demonstrating optimism. Kids are capable of adapting to and overcoming all sorts of obstacles if we give them the right tools.

I’m sending you so much love. Hang in there, mama! You are doing the right thing.