Dear Kids, Everything’s Going to be Okay

Dear kids,

We all hoped things would be better by now. After surviving such a traumatic spring and agonizing summer that changed our lives drastically, we looked forward to the new school year with anxious anticipation.

We thought Covid-19 would be under control and by the time school began, you’d be able to enter through the doors of the actual building and see all your friends and teachers once again.

You were excited to meet new students in your new classes and roam the school hallways with hundreds of other kids finally released from captivity.

You couldn’t wait to do all the typical things you used to do that were fun and exciting, like cheering for your football team in the crowded student section every Friday night or getting all dressed up to go to homecoming with a group of your friends.

We expected all the various school activities and opportunities to resume, and you would finally be able to get back into your active lives once again. After all these months of restrictions and cancellations, limitations and conditions, we thought by fall, all that was lost would be restored.

But that’s not our reality and we must manage this awful truth as best we can.

I know you are sad, disappointed, frustrated, and worried about this school year. I know you are feeling defeated and discouraged about losing so much of your lives and facing another season stuck inside the house, missing everything you’d hoped to do.

I know learning virtually is hard and you worry about your ability to figure everything out without the help of being in the classroom and having your teacher right there by your side. I know you have all sorts of questions that we have no good answers to right now.

I know everything seems so unpredictable and not knowing how things are going to go and what new changes we might face, can be the worst part of it all.

I’m so sorry this is all happening to you. I hate that you can’t live the way you deserve to live and experience all the opportunities you deserve to have. I’m sorry you will continue to have many more challenges ahead while this pandemic continues and we live in uncertain and scary times.

But no matter how bad things get, no matter what you go through, I want you to know that everything’s going to be okay. I know you don’t believe that. I know you struggle with everything that’s going on right now, and I know you are feeling hopeless about it all.

But I will carry the hope for you because I know who you are. I know that you are fortified with all the strengths of a survivor. I have full confidence that you will make the most of this difficult season and come through this year with lessons learned and wisdom earned. I know you don’t feel that way, so it’s my job as your mom to tell you these important truths as often as you need to hear them.

I believe in you, and because I do, I know that everything’s going to be okay.

You are resilient and strong; for no matter how hard things get, I know you will overcome every challenge you face.

You are smart and capable; you can problem-solve and work hard to figure things out in a world full of constant changes.

You are young and ambitious; you can endure these trying days now, knowing you have the rest of your life to do all you dream to do.

You are creative and driven; You can make the best of a bad situation and do what you can to find ways to manage the circumstances you’re in.

You are prepared and equipped; You have a comfortable home and the resources you need to handle another season of online school.

I know without a doubt, that you will make it through this terrible time. You have to remind yourself over and over again that this is temporary. Even though it feels like it will go on forever, it won’t. It will be over someday, and then you will be able to recover and resume all that you want to do with a newfound appreciation for your freedom and your health.

Oh, my amazing kids, I promise you that everything’s going to be okay. I know this is scary and upsetting and so hard on you, but we will survive, we will persevere, we will learn as we go and we will continue to discover just how much we have, too.

In a time when there’s very little we know for sure; I promise you this:

I am with you, believing in you, and I will do everything I can to make you see that is true.