It’s no summer vacation for busy mom

“When I heard about the coronavirus, the first thing I did was pray, ‘Please don’t close the schools. Please don’t close the schools.’ My boys are particularly rambunctious, and they don’t always get along perfectly with each other. So when the kids usually go to school, it’s a very nice break for everybody to have their own time away from each other. But of course they did close the schools, and I understand why that was needed. Now here we are, all together.

“At first, I thought it might be similar to summer when everyone’s home. But it’s not. Obviously, there’s school online and their homework. And during the summer break I might say, ‘Let’s go to the library today,’ ‘Let’s go to the splash pad,’ or ‘Let’s go see if a friend can play.’ But those are not options right now.

“One activity that has been pretty successful for us is to have a snack in the afternoon while I read to them. I’ve been reading ‘Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians.’ They seem to enjoy that and sit still. In fact, the other day, my oldest said, ‘Mom, you never read to us today.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, today was kind of crazy.’

“I’m trying my best, but there’s a lot to juggle. Everyone’s wanting me at the same time. I’m trying to help this kid find out what’s going on with a computer program here. The baby’s crying over here. And sister wants me to read her a story. But I’m like, there’s only one me.

“My husband’s work has quarantined, so he’s been working from home. So if things get really bad, I can call out to him to take the baby for a little bit. I walked in one day, handed him the baby, and said, ‘It is now officially Take Your Daughter to Work Day.’

“I just try to find those breaks where I can. I see some people on Facebook saying, ‘Oh, what do I do with all my extra time?’ And I’m thinking, what extra time are you talking about? I’m busier than I’ve ever been.”

— Holly Suisse