Parenting Note #723 – Covid Slide

Summer is coming, and it’s going to suck.

At least the first half of the summer will suck.

The kid won’t go to summer camp, and it will feel like an extended school year with even less work.

If you’re wondering how homeschooling is going, the 10-year-old takes more Zoom meetings than the average middle manager, and the 7-year-old can’t stop calling caterpillars, “capatillers,” which is cute the first time but makes a father worry.

Shit. Am I making the kids dumb?

We went into this self-isolation with her pronouncing caterpillar just fine.

Experts are already warning parents about the COVID slide. Unfortunately, the COVID slide is not a new wedding dance where partners boogie six feet apart.

“In interviews with CNN, experts said academic losses could be particularly problematic for grade school students who should be in the process of laying critical foundations of reading, writing, and math skills that should be built on for years to come — potentially robbing a generation of students of vital stages of learning.”

Ok, good. She’s getting dumber all on her own. I feel better.

Once states reopen, mom will return to work, leaving dad in charge of summer activities while juggling freelance writing jobs.

I spent five summers as a camp counselor but I’ll be the first to admit I suck at planning daily activities.

I wrote down activities that can be recycled a few times.

Trips to the beach. Cooking classes for both kids. Long hikes looking for capatillers while yelling out fundamental math problems in the car.

I’m not going to complain.

It could be worse.

I could be dead.

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