Defining Moments in My Life
The pandemic has caused me to think about my past life-changing moments:
- Nuclear bombs and our “duck and cover” under our desk practices
- Landing on the moon
- The Polio epidemic and vaccine
- Assassination of JFK
- Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., race marches, riots
- Vietnam War and anti-war demonstrations
- Women’s Movement and the burning of bras
- Ebola, SARS, but I never thought about its personal impact on me
Defining Moments in My Grandkids’ Lives
Our grandkids’ life-changing moments prior to February 2020:
- Getting a driver’s license
- Going to college
- School shootings and active shooter drills
Grandkids’ life-changing moments after February 2020:
- Universities and public schools closed indefinitely, learning remotely
- Sports schedules stopped
- Knowledge of graduations which won’t be held
- Uncertainty of summer jobs
Adapting to a New Way of Learning
All four of my grandkids are settling in with school work. I’m sure everyone of them is responding to the remote learning differently. One will work very hard on her assignments and complete them ahead of schedule and do more than required, hoping for extra credit. One will complete only the required work, hoping for the best. The other two will be somewhere in between, doing the work, getting it in on time, but not going above and beyond the requirements.
Now that I think about it, this is kind of how they work during the school year. I’ve decided not to ask how their school work is going, as I’m thinking their parents will put enough pressure on them already. They don’t need my inquiries. As a former educator, I’m anxious to know how this whole distance learning thing will work for the last quarter of the school year.
How I’m Handling the Pandemic
I’ve decided that my role during this pandemic is to stay healthy, find humor in the little things and connect with my grandkids at least once a day. One day, I sent them a joke about a guy who is paid to scoop up dog poop in the yard when he finally realized the homeowners didn’t have a dog. The grandkids thought it was pretty funny. Another day, I sent a picture of me doing the Jimmy Fallon Cowbell Challenge. They knew I played a cowbell at North Star High School, but couldn’t make the connection to Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”
I’ve sent them a picture of me trying to follow a YouTube video for beginning yoga. I think they were embarrassed for me trying to keep a downward dog pose. Finally, I’ve requested a Zoom session with the four of them once a week. It was good for me to see all of them last week, and they knew it meant a great deal to me. We’ve met once, and we’ll see if I am able to maintain my goal.
A lot of unknowns arise each and every day. I know that, and I’ll do the best to adjust to each one, even if one of the new things is learning new technology. I want to treat my book club to Zooming. Just when I thought I was done learning, I find myself needing more information to keep up with my grandkids.
The most important thing right now is to keep my grandkids safe and healthy. I know it’s really up to them and their parents, but I’ll do my part by trying to keep them smiling and smiling and smiling.
Nancy Becker
Grandkids & Grandparents
I have four grandchildren ages 14-17. In some ways, I’m a very typical grandma, always proud of everything the kids do and wanting to help support them in whatever way I can. In other ways, I’m not very typical. My goal as a blogger is to share my thoughts and experiences that I think are funny and meaningful as I adventure through grandmahood.
