Items

• 
  2021-04-12

  A Major Challenge: Parenting a Toddler During Covid

  Toddlers are natural explorers who run, touch and sniff as they learn about the world. But these behaviors can be dangerous during a pandemic. Parents of toddlers need to weigh the risks of catching Covid against their children’s developmental needs. Lizza Weir, whose daughter Simone was 16 months when Covid first arrived in New York, talks about the hard choices she’s been facing.
• 
  2021-04-14

  Can You Ever Tell If A Decision Is Right?

  My daughter has left our neighborhood less than five times in the past 13 months. I am not exaggerating. Now that the positivity rate in our area is 1.5%, we cautiously allowed my daughter to accompany me on a one mile run. You would have thought I’d taken her to Disney World. She was happier and more relaxed than she’s been in months. But she’s not a runner. She’s a competitive gymnast who hasn’t set foot in a gym in 13 months. She’s trained virtually with a gym in Northern CA and has worked out every single day. But we know it’s not the same. We also know that it’s time to create the team for the next season. It was time to contact her gym. We can keep promising she’s coming back but at what point is it just empty words? After a lot of prayer and internal debate, we texted her coach and said it’s time for her to come back. As you can see, she was initially scared at the idea, but that was quickly replaced by excitement when she found out she is really going back. But I have a pit in my stomach. Is it safe? Her coach isn’t vaccinated. Will my daughter be one of the children who contract it and have dire consequences? Or will her brother if she brings it home? How long can you keep a kid in a bubble? She already missed an entire season. Her mental health is so important, we know going back is going to be so amazing for that. But I am still so worried about the physical. One thing that this year has shown me is that I am an adult. I mean, obviously, I’ve been an adult for 22 years. But this year - protecting not only the safety of my children but my over 65 mom and in-laws. Advocating for the health of my students over politics. It’s like the pandemic has forced me to see that I can’t look to anyone to make adult decisions, it’s me. I’m the decision maker and these decisions can be life and death. I’m the adult. COVID has stripped that security we all had (probably foolishly). I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe again the way I did before this all began. So fingers crossed that my daughter’s journey back into competitive gymnastics is one that we can make safely.
• 
  2021-02-19

  Turning 5 years old in February 2021

  My daughter turned five on February 19, 2021. We had no family or friends over to celebrate. We had individual Zoom calls with each set of grandparents & a Zoom birthday cake celebration with all of the aunts, uncle, cousins, a great aunt & grandparents late in the evening. People sent their gifts ahead of time. She opened them throughout the day. We gave our daughter her birthday gifts, too. This particular photo is showing virtual Bingo. One set of grandparents sent over a Bingo card set & they had a copy of the same one. We played the game virtually. My daughter had a lot of fun.
• 
  2021-04-09

  Rights were violated

  Rights were violated I wanted to share this video for several reasons. The focus is on how the police responds to the deaf mother and 1) asks the twins so many questions in front of the mom who does not know what is being said here. 2) You never handcuff a deaf person behind their back. 3) The Americans with Disabilities Act was violated. 4) The cop got mad at Mom for not “listening to directions.” Really. 5) The deaf person is the one who is left in the dark literally. She is the focus here yet she does not know what is happening. Unfortunately, this is too common in deaf and hard of hearing people’s experience with the police. This should not be the common experience in dealing with the police. There are more reasons, but the point is… this is one reason why the deaf people are so hesitant about getting help/support from the police. I hope this video as traumatizing, becomes a lesson. Police reform is much needed in so many areas, including learning how to communicate & how to work with deaf and hard of hearing people, the DO’s and the DON’Ts as seen here. I hope to see more training with the police departments in understanding how to work with deaf and hard of hearing people. I pray for healing for Mom- @burgundre Drizzy, and her twins. You can go and support her as she fights this. Trigger warning here. Posted @withregram • @kelly4access 11 year old twin girls are forced by police (Michael Rose of the North Las Vegas PD) to interpret for their deaf mom and are interrogated while she is handcuffed. @burgundre recorded recorded her encounter on FB Live. Thanks so much @dpantv for working late in the night to make this accessible!! #asl #captions #signlanguage #police #discrimination #injustice #ada #policebrutality #whyisign #askmewhyisign
• 
  2021-04-08

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This article speaks about birth rate spikes around the world during the pandemic. The chart provided shows birth increases. Many families are now welcoming children after 5-6 years. This is described as the next baby boom. The correlation this has with my research topic involves the idea that increased birthrates, and their effects on children at home along with the development of these children as they are born in the middle of the pandemic.
• 
  2021-03-23

  #JOTPYLesson from Jordan Bizal

  I've learned that I wasn't spending enough time with my kids and spouse. I have missed so many things this year, but I realized just how much I've missed by prioritizing life outside of my home. My kids are funny, kind, and so smart. It's been a great opportunity to pay attention to the things that they do while they're still little. I've learned that my extended family care deeply for me. The way people have called to check in and set up regular zoom meetings reminds me that in the same way I was missing small regular moments with my kids and spouse, I was also missing mundane conversations with people farther out in my circle.
• 
  2021-03-30

  Pandemic Lifestyle & Childhood Education, Oral History with Anonymous, 03/30/2021

  Living in military housing with their spouse and two children in California, the narrator chooses to remain anonymous. Throughout the interview, the narrator speaks at length about their COVID-19 pandemic experience. They go on about how they go tackle socialization, especially for their children, as they are not able to travel very far from home. They talk about what precautions they take whenever they leave the house, and how they would not let the pandemic restrictions completely dictate their new norm. Although their children are none the wiser considering their young ages, they continue to create a sense of normalcy that would simulate a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Delving deeper into safety measures, the narrator expresses their thoughts and hopes about how people in their community are taking precautions. This includes how they would hope that everyone is being honest and doing their part in assuring everyone’s mutual safety, such as informing them if they or their children are sick.
• 
  2021-03-28

  Motherhood during a pandemic

  I am researching the unintended consequences of the pandemic. One way to find some answers is to learn what real people are going through. It is easy to find people’s thoughts about the pandemic on social media, so I took to my mom groups and found people willing to let me share their thoughts anonymously. In the first screenshot, a mom talks about how she is trying to stay positive through the pandemic. From losing her job temporarily, to missing her work and family, to missing simple everyday things like shopping, this mom is feeling the brunt of lockdown in California. It is easy to pick out the negative consequences of the pandemic, but she looks for positivity anyway. The next mom is worried about how her child is going to come out on top due to homeschooling. She wants advice on how to keep her son motivated and not give up when things get hard. There is no way to tell exactly how this pandemic has affected our kids, only time will tell. But there have definitely been some unintended consequences. This example shows that while we are parents and we love our children, we have no idea what the teachers were doing to help our kids through each class before the pandemic. Perhaps one consequence of the pandemic will be a larger respect for teachers. I plan to further use social media for my research, along with academic studies, and oral interviews.
• 
  2021-02-03

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This link discusses if experts are really worried about if the development of toddlers is important or are there bigger issues. A fact stated in this text says " that 60% of teenagers say they’re lonely to deeply troubling federal data that revealed a 24% jump in mental health-related emergency room visits among 5- to 11-year-olds." This is a very concerning matter as children as young as 5-11 should be living a healthy life mentally and physically as those are the prime time of their growth and development. It goes on to talk about how these prime timed years of a child's life affect how he is as an adult. Certain aspects that small roles in a child's life may unknowingly affect it as it grows.
• 
  2021-01-11

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This link provided discusses the lack of social development that is being portrayed in toddlers as most of them have fewer interactions with people other than their intermediate family and friends. Much of the time when they do see others, they are in masks which makes it difficult for them to understand emotion and detect feelings. The mother in the article discusses that she does not know if it's her introverted genes that have been passed on to the child or if it's just the lack of social development the toddler has.
• 
  2021-03-14

  #JOTPYSilver from Kiki

  My silver lining is more time to just play with my kids. My daughter is a 4th grader and I’m guessing the days of Legos, costumes, and acting out plays with stuffed animals will be fading away sooner than later. Having this year at home to enjoy these moments before teenage interests become more fun than playing with her mom, dad, and little brother is something I’m very grateful for.
• 2020-03-23

  My Strange 2020

  This picture was taken on October 27th around 11pm. This day changed my life forever, my first child was born. Looking back on 2020 I noticed that it was life changing in many different ways. Experiencing becoming a father in this pandemic was crazy, me and my girlfriend found out she was pregnant a week after quarantine started but we could not be together. We had to stay at home , I couldn't attend her doctors visits, the only one they let me in was the first ultrasound. During the labor process we could not have family there with us so it was just me and her. I'll never forget those moments when my daughter was coming into the world because it was strange but amazing at the same time.
• 
  2021-03-21

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This is an article that provides an inside on taking care of a newborn during the pandemic.
• 
  03/17/2021

  Heather Martens Oral History 2021/03/17

  This is an oral history of Heather Martens by Monica Ruth, about her experiences of the pandemic. Heather shares her experiences as an administrator and facilitator of staff in her work role, her thoughts on pandemic life at home, and as a mother and partner. Heather also speaks a bit about conflicts over mask wearing, and what she hopes the future holds.
• 
  2020-04-15

  That fleeting moment of Solidarity

  In those first few weeks of lockdown I just remember a feeling of solidarity with my neighbors. We were all separate, all isolated, but all working toward the same goal. Throughout our neighborhood people had written with chalk on the sidewalk, we took walks every day and saw painted rocks, teddy bears sitting in windows, art and signs of hope and comfort. For a homeschool art lesson I had my sons do chalk splatter painting on our driveway and then taught them about Jackson Pollock. I wrote lyrics to Bob Marley songs and drew pictures of rainbows on the sidewalk. We baked bread, cinnamon rolls, all things warm and cozy. Our family was together in a special way, we appreciated the time together. We went on hikes and fished in the backyard pond and although there were zoom appointments and conference calls, life was moving at a slower more relaxing pace. We were hopeful and confident that by doing the right thing we were saving lives.
• 
  2020-06-18

  Hearing Floyd Breathlessly Call for his "Mama"

  “Even as an adult, I’m 31, when I feel depleted or I have nothing left, even as a mother, I call on my mom,” said Nikkia Hines, of St. Louis Park. Hearing Floyd breathlessly call for his “mama” in the video that has now been seen around the world is what called mothers everywhere to action. “His mother had already passed and that was his last straw,” said Hines. “That part. I can’t…I can’t verbalize how I feel.” - reporting by Courtney Godfrey
• 
  2021-03-14

  Oral Interview with a healthcare provider-nurse

  Abstract: Michael Levesque was a paramedic working on an ambulance at the start of the pandemic. He had a pregnant wife at home and was in the process of switching his career into nursing. He recalls the memories of working on the ambulance and taking care of Covid patients, as well as how Covid impacted the EMS services overall. He also discusses how it felt to be starting his career as an Emergency Room nurse during a global pandemic. In both cases, his job put him directly on the front lines of medicine. He discusses the early problems of lack of knowledge and equipment to properly handle this pandemic. He also explains the mindset of an expecting father, working in a high risk environment, and then coming home to his pregnant wife. Michael’s unique life circumstances and career path gives his interview a perspective that few people experienced.
• 
  2020-03-11

  Meet Generation C, the Covid generation

  "Natalie Sanchez heard it in her children's voice when their birthday parties were canceled and saw it on their faces when they couldn't play with friends. It was more than just simple disappointment. It was fear that the world they once knew might have changed forever. "I think that it's something that's going to kind of scar them. I don't think that they'll forget," says the mom of three. Now, a year into a worldwide disaster it's no longer a question of if this pandemic will shape an entire generation, But how."
• 
  2021-03-10

  Ellen Galindo, Oral History 03/10/2021

  This is an oral history of Ellen Galindo, a teacher in Orange County, California. The date of this interview was three days shy of the one year anniversary of when her school shut down. She has been teaching online for a year now. She is also expecting her first child. Her oral history is focused on her experience teaching through Distance Learning and her feelings on being pregnant during the pandemic.
• 2021-03-11

  A Year to Reflect

  Today, marks the one-year anniversary since the WHO declared the COVID19 pandemic a pandemic. It is also one year since we as a family began quarantining/hunkering down, social distancing and pausing on activities where being around crowds of people became dangerous. I made a note of this in my calendar. As I reflect on this year, I am first grateful that my dear loved ones are still here and safe. I am also sad for the two family members we have lost. One to covid and another to circumstances related in part to covid. I also grieve for the loss of social interactions and in-person school for my kids. Being online has been a challenge and my kids are doing really well despite the difficulties, but as a mom I am saddened for all of the fun school and friend experiences they have missed this year. I am hopeful change will come soon and they will get back to a more familiar old normal soon enough. When I look back on my calendar from the beginning of March 2020 and the end of February, I see a full calendar of school events, friends, and new beginnings. We had playdates, went to the movies, planned a remodel (never happened of course), went to community events, and I participated in-person in a recruitment event for graduate school. My expectations for what my own personal schooling would be like were drastically altered by the pandemic. In some ways, being on Zoom for school has given me more time for my family life and pushed me to participate more in class. It has allowed me to be more confident because it made participation something I could truly control. I had always struggled with speaking in class, so the Zoom made it easier—people could only see my face. One of the surprising benefits of this last year is really the evaluation it gives us for our lives. We are able to reflect and think on the people and things that truly matter. It gave us time to pause and evaluate on the people who have maintained a strong presence in our lives and those who have not. It also made me appreciate all the social events and normal daily experiences that I had taken for granted. So, for one year out life is starting to have promise again. Several family members of mine have received the vaccine, including my eighty-year-old mom. So, the stress about her welfare and safety is starting to lift. Congress passed the American Rescue Plan yesterday and President Biden will sign it tomorrow. This gives me hope that people who have struggled financially this last year will start to get some relief. It reminds me of how fortunate we are not to deal with the stress of financial despair on top of everything else. More and more people are getting vaccinated with goals being passed ahead of schedule and government officials are increasingly getting more excited about a sooner return to normal. I am thinking about vacations again and making plans. My kids will go back to school next year, that is something I am almost certain about. There is light at the end of this dark tunnel, and I am beginning to see it.
• 
  2021-03-08

  Trust me, I'm aware that in-person learning starts March 15

  Tempe Public schools sent a reminder email about in-person classes starting next Monday. Right now, the kids are on spring break, while having more time at home to argue about media use isn't ideal, at least we can say the days of online learning are behind us.
• 
  2021-02-19

  The Person I Can No Longer Be

  This pandemic has been a disaster for parents. We have two adults working from home, two remote learners, and a 3-year-old. Cut off from our usual support systems, many days we feel like we are hanging on by a thread. I write a lot and have been chronicling our day-to-day activities (or lack thereof) throughout the pandemic.
• 
  2021-03-04

  For some, there will never be a "back to normal"

  "(via @readingstar18) When you say "I can't wait until things get back to normal" know that my life will never be "normal" again. When you say "Soon #COVID will just be a bad memory" know that Covid was a traumatic event and will always be a reminder of how my life drastically changed forever. When people say that #COVID19 is a hoax or only affects the elderly or people with underlying health conditions, remember I lost my young and healthy husband to this horrible virus. When you see something written about me and my family and say its fake news made up by the media as a scare tactic, I know that I am a very real person going through a very real tragedy and I share my heartbreaking and important story to show that #COVID19 can affect anyone. Nine months since my #HealthcareHero husband lost his life and the insensitive comments made by others continues to add to our grief. Covid is very real and has had a lasting impact on my children and me. So please be kind to those who are trying to heal and move forward."
• 
  2021-03-04

  Women and the Pandemic

  "These mothers wanted to care for their kids and keep their jobs. Now they're suing after being fired. This story is part of TIME's Women and the Pandemic issue. COVID-19 has made it impossible to deny the ways broken systems hurt women. TIME spoke with women who have found the strength to work toward a better future. Read the full cover story at the link in bio. Photograph by Mary Beth Koeth (@mbkoeth) for TIME.
• 
  2021-02-17

  #JOTPYPhoto from Katy Kole de Peralta

  Here's mine....online learning has been a struggle, and I've created a hybrid system of part home school, part her normal class meetings. But it's challenging! And I learned that it is a gift to explain subtraction to a 6 yo. #JOTPYPhoto
• 
  2021-02-24

  Zero Options

  Through my journey of motherhood, I have often felt like my "superpower" derived from simply having no other option. As a military spouse, a grad student, and a mother of two I often go the "I could never do it" talk from kidless friends and family. I wouldn't say that Covid has created more of these conversations, but I do feel like mothers have been more vocal about this aspect of motherhood. I feel so connected to my role as a mother through this global pandemic. Mothers are coming together and sharing the ups AND downs. It's hard, it's exhausting and draining, mothering during a pandemic seems impossible, but mothers get it done, just as we did a year ago before Covid. This Instagram post says mothers have not been given a superpower to get through this pandemic, I think Covid has shown me my superpower though. My tribe of mom friends encourages me, uplifts me, and grounds me at the same time. We laugh together, we cry together, and on tough days, we drink together.
• 
  2021-02-27

  [REVIEW] One Bronx Mom, Two Young Adult Daughters, Two Mental Health Crises

  An anonymous Bronx mother tells the story of her two daughters’ mental health challenges during the pandemic. First, her 21 year old daughter had a Covid-related panic attack in May 2020 that required 4 weeks of hospitalization. This daughter was on the road to recovery when her 24 year old daughter fell into a severe depression in August. The mother describes how this situation affected her entire family and how both daughters returned to mental health even though the pandemic hasn’t ended yet.
• 
  2021-02-14

  #JOTPYSilver submission from Rebecca Gupta

  #Jotpysilver i got to spend a lot of time with my son! Will cherish these moments @Shivani10516489 @shah_saaya @rajjain88448229 @devadevallama @rani_doshi
• 
  2021-01-29

  Apart for Eleven Months

  This year, my daughter’s Girl Scout troop, like every other troop in the country, has moved their cookie sales online. Even cookie pick up is strange this year. Instead of having families come by and pick up cookies to sell, I leave the cookies on the porch with the receipt and wave through the window. When my best friend (and co-leader) came with her daughter to pick up cookies, we chatted through the window and took a picture to save the bizarre moment. I mentioned that when another family from the troop came to get cookies, I almost didn’t recognize the girl because she had gotten so tall. My best friend then had the genius idea to take a picture of her daughter by my front door. She said I should take a picture of my daughter so we could compare their heights, as they have been the same size their entire lives. And then she said a statement that shocked me: “I mean, it’ll be a year next month since they’ve actually stood next to each other.” I guess since my best friend and I text almost every day, and have seen each other over Zoom, I hadn’t processed how truly long it has been since we’ve all been physically together. I met my best friend when I was 11, we were college roommates, married guys we were all in the same friend group with in college, had our first kids exactly six months apart from each other, our second kids two months apart from each other, and live 15 minutes away from each other. We have been lock step since we were kids, so not seeing each other for almost a year is insane. As the picture shows, our daughters are still basically the same height, so even apart, we're still lock step. Still, hoping we’ll be able to be together again before the girls grow anymore!
• 2021-02-11

  Vaccinated!

  Relief was what I felt when I received my covid vaccine. I felt even more relief when my 21-year-old daughter was able to receive her vaccine since she would not have been able to have gotten vaccinated until early summer. My first vaccine appointment was at 12:30 in the morning, and my daughter rode along with me to keep me company since I had to drive to State Farm Stadium. As we exited the freeway to go to the stadium, the parking lot where the vaccines were being administered could be seen, and I was surprised that it looked relatively vacant of vehicles. When we reached the parking lot, we were directed to follow the signs and pull up to the first checkpoint, where a person verified I had an appointment. At the second checkpoint, a person scanned in my appointment and asked if my passenger had an appointment as well. I told the person “no,” and they said, “we have had a lot of people not show up tonight for their vaccination, so if your passenger would like to get vaccinated, they are welcome to do so.” I immediately accepted the offer for my daughter to get her vaccination, and we were directed to another spot where she could fill out her paperwork for getting a shot. Once my daughter completed her paperwork, we were sent to wait in a line where the vaccines were administered, and after a five-minute wait, we had our first vaccine. After we had our shots, we were directed to wait in a line of cars for fifteen minutes to ensure we did not have any adverse reactions to the vaccination. While waiting for the fifteen minutes, an individual came to our vehicle and scheduled our second vaccination appointment, which was a huge relief since going through the computer system the state had established was cumbersome. What was surprising to my daughter and me was that while we waited during that fifteen-minute time frame, a nurse came by to ask us how we were feeling. We both said we were okay and stated we were surprised that we could get through the vaccine process so quickly and how there were so few cars. The nurse told us that many people were skipping out of their appointsments out of fear of rumored side effects from the vaccine, which was why there was extra serum for individuals like my daughter, who had ridden along. So I had the right schedule for the right night for my daughter to ride along. And now my whole household has been inoculated, which is a relief after three times of being in quarantine. Whew!
• 2021-02-11

  Zoom Birthday "party"

  For this journal entry I plan to discuss the changes this pandemic is bringing to children and parents, and continue to discuss how their voices are silenced in this archive. My son’s sixth birthday was the other day, and I decided to host a Zoom get-together for him with his closest friends from school. It was awkward for me to text some moms I have not seen in ages because we do not go to the park anymore for play dates. This group of moms and kids would meet up on Fridays at this park the kids fondly called the “fish park” because it had a play structure with a big fish designed into it. The group got to be quite large at the beginning of 2020 with around eight families participating. As I write this, I am feeling very sad and missing those days when we were all together. We often would each bring something to snack on and share as a group. We were all there to help each other and of course socialize. It was a nice social group. It was also a friendship formed based on our children’s connection to each other. So, when the pandemic hit and play dates were out of the question, some of us drifted apart for a while. I remember when we first started learning about COVID-19, this was the hot topic of discussion in our Friday meetups. We debated and discussed and worried. They all thought I was crazy, I am sure, for going out and stocking up on food back in February because an official from the CDC told people to even back then. Later, they started to realize I was right and followed my lead before it was too late and the grocery stores started emptying out. Four of us formed a text group and have kept in almost daily contact with each other this last year. A lot of our conversation is supportive while we try to get through these challenging times as moms of small children. We share our worries and fears. We share our joys and survival tips. There have been lots of laughs, too. It has been a blessing to have this support group this year. We even met up in a park one Sunday morning last fall and spent the morning catching up. We were of course masked and sitting in chairs well over six feet apart. All these moms have made the same decision to keep their children at home. One mom decided to home school her children because she could not get adequate resourcing for her son who has autism and as a former teacher, she decided to take it on herself. Being online for school has been especially hard for children on the spectrum, I have been told by a few moms with children who are, because mainly their routine is messed up. Two of us have our children in the flex program and one moved hers to a new completely online school our district created to serve families during the pandemic. The flex program was for parents who are wishy washy on deciding whether to send their kids back to school. It is for us parents who were too scared to send their kids back so early (and had the privilege to keep them home) and optimistic that the virus would fade away enough and our kids could return relatively safe. It is not looking good that our children will return at all this year. Every quarter we say, oh maybe next quarter, and then the virus spreads in our community and the numbers tick up and we keep them home again. Anyway, the point is that my two kids have been home this entire time, almost a year, out of a brick-and-mortar school and not socializing with other kids in person. It has been very hard for them. They miss seeing their friends desperately. Obviously, a birthday party was out of the question so I decided to set up a Zoom “party” for my son yesterday to celebrate his birthday and so he could see his friends’ faces for a little bit. It did not work well. First off, I muted everyone to announce the plans and then could not figure out how to unmute everyone and that lead to tears and frustration. Kids kept leaving and coming back. Some would not participate in the games I tried to arrange. We played charades, would you rather, and did a little scavenger hunt by sending them to find objects of the various colors of the rainbow. My kids were not having it. My son was out of sorts which is not like him, and my daughter was so upset with me because I would not let her interrupt the games to play a video from her screen. So, she was pouting, and my son was pouting for some unknown reason. I think he was overwhelmed and just fatigued by it all. This is not what he wanted for a birthday party; I am sure. But I tried. I did the best I could with the circumstances, and I know some of the kids had fun even if the birthday boy did not. The bottom-line is that Zoom birthday parties are hard—harder to facilitate than in-person birthdays and wow do I give props to teachers who are doing this every single day. My son’s kindergarten teacher makes it look so easy! But I know it is not. I already had tremendous respect for teachers, but my respect has grown even more after this experience. I am very thankful for all they do for our children. They should be honored. The problem with this archive is the potential for silences. As I discussed last week, children will be silenced in this archive unless an adult writes their experiences for them. I am writing this story about this Zoom party for the archive and it is getting included, but it is still from my perspective. My son is not sharing what he felt during the party and how he has felt this year collectively. We may never know what he was thinking during the party because little kids move on and forget. At the very least though I have shared this experience from my point-of-view, which I am sure is a replication of thousands of parents and children’s experiences all over the world—at least the ones who have access to the internet and Zoom.
• 
  2021-02-09

  INTO THE UNKNOWN

  My oldest friend—let's call her Dr. Z— is an infectious disease specialist. She has been working on an AIDS vaccine for decades now, so when COVID came along, it was traumatic for her in a different way. COVID has commonalities with AIDS and she was grim about vaccine prospects. Thankfully, a year later we are all getting vaccinated as a Herculean national effort unfolds. A few days ago New York State announced that pregnant women could now join the ranks of the vaccine-worthy, so my pregnant cousin asked me if I would ask my friend if it was safe. Dr. Z has two daughters, also both doctors in busy New York City hospitals. This was the exchange we had. And now, I ask you...what would you do?
• 
  2021-02-02

  Holding her Baby for the First Time

  As a mother of two, two thoughts have plagued the darkest corners of my mind for the past ten months: “I can’t let anything happen to the kids” and “what would happen if something happened to me?” The thoughts terrify me so much I can’t even say them aloud. So, to read about pregnant women trying to safely bring life into the world amidst the pandemic is an unbearable thought. The thought of being pregnant right now is truly terrifying, so this article struck a deep chord when I read it. A woman at the very end of her pregnancy contracted Covid-19, gave birth while unconscious, and then spent 75 days on oxygen and a ventilator. Her baby was born November 4, and just this past week, on January 27, she was able to hold her for the first time. Seeing the pictures of this mom, who I don’t know and will never meet, with her baby is a wonderful moment of hope. Clearly this family has a long road ahead, as the mom is still weak and on oxygen. However, when you see the pictures of them together, the oxygen mask seems to disappear and all I see is a mother’s love and true joy. A story of survival, and a glimmer of hope in a year that has been bleak.
• 
  2021-02-02

  It's a pandemic, let there be cake

  I was at the supermarket this morning and bought a King Cake on impulse. It was pretty pricey for a supermarket cake ($17). But, it only took me 3 seconds to justify it, my 6 yo has been out of school for a year (she’s learning online, but it’s not the same). The 2 yo is also home and they both get stir crazy. I have really found memories of eating King Cake every year at my best friend’s house, they lived in Louisiana and brought the tradition with them to Michigan. The fun, in addition to cinnamon, bread, and icing, is that there’s a small plastic baby inside the cake that someone will find in their piece. I hid the baby in the cake this morning and told the kids they could have a piece after eating breakfast. The tradition is that finding the baby is good luck, and depending on where you are, you might have to make the next cake.
• 
  2021-02-02

  Website on "How parents can support their kids through the COVID-19 outbreak"

  The website provides a list containing 6 ways in which a parent can support their child through the pandemic. Reading through the many stories under that "children" collection I have come to notice that many of the posts are by children who face difficulty with daily life during the pandemic, whether that be through school, unable to physically socialize, or the fact that their childhoods are passing while sitting at home. This website gives an inside on how parents can help their children as well as gives reasons on to why these can help positively support their children.
• 
  2021-01-31

  Art to be together

  These images and accompanying text express emotion of longing to be with loved ones and happiness at finding ways to feel together during prolonged times of separation because of COVID-19. The drawings and paintings were created as a means of spending time with others and creating things, both during quarantine (drawing together via video calls) and in public spaces (chalk painting in a driveway where neighbors passing by might see it). Some of the art was done for mental health, sense of family and community.
• 
  2021-01-22

  Night Sprints

  We have a balance beam upstairs. Since quarantine, we’ve added a trampoline and a tumble trak. All the years of vowing to have my daughter only due gymnastics at the gym has ended because she hasn’t set foot in the gym since March 2020. Even a few months ago, we were talking about having her return in the fall, but with the spike that started in October, there was no way. I want to support her the best I can, because she is passionate about her sport. Even though she is never going to be an Olympian or collegiate gymnast, she does well at our local and state meets and continuing to practice everyday (even on the days she complains) gives her that light she needs at the end of the tunnel. The knowledge that when this ends, she can return to the world of competitive gymnastics and all her friends on her team is one of the things that keeps her going. But I’m not a gymnastics coach. Until quarantine, I didn’t know what half the skills were. And we have no bars, and no vault. But there is one thing I can do - run. I figure the practice videos, (thanks Paul Hamm and Amanda Borden), the twice a week live zoom practices (thank you Kazio Acrobatics & Gymnastics, who, though not being my daughter’s gym and being 400 miles away, graciously extended their online classes to anyone in the country when this all began), and the at home training schedule of conditioning and skills her gym sent in March takes care of the floor and the beam. Bars is a lost cause, I hope some muscle memory remains for her. But the vault, which is her highest scoring event, is powered by running. I love running, and her coach used to tell me that gymnasts notoriously hate running, but it is a skill that really helps with vaulting. I figured I may not be able to do a back handspring, but I can teach my kid to run. So three times a week, I make her run. She is NOT a fan of the mile on the treadmill, but she seems to genuinely enjoy sprinting. On Friday, she was bummed because it got dark before she could make it out to sprint. So to make it fun, we figured we’d just sprint in the dark with lights. Was I secretly trying to train her to hold a baton? Maybe. Or maybe I’m just trying to keep hope alive for the kid. She’s 10, and before Covid, the longest stretches she has had from the gym is two weeks, and that is only when we go on vacation. So she basically has lived at that gym since the summer before she was 3. If she wants to continue competing, I will do anything I can to keep those muscles in shape so she can return. And if I end up training a new running partner in the process, what a win.
• 
  2020-05-20

  Gia's Soft Fur

  I will always remember the feeling of my dog Gia's soft fur and the tickle and wetness of her silky tongue licking my hand during this pandemic. These sensory experiences soothed me during a stressful and anxiety-ridden time during the COVID pandemic. When the pandemic worsened in March 2020 and the state of Utah went into a full lockdown, my family's life changed suddenly. My son's birthday party was canceled. My children began school online. My husband no longer found himself flying to New York or Los Angeles, and I found myself filled with worry and anxiety. How will my elderly parents weather this pandemic? Will I get them sick? Will I be responsible for their deaths? Will my 9-year-old son become depressed because he can no longer play hockey or football? How will my 13-year-old handle feeling emotionally isolated because she can no longer hang out with her friends? All of these worries plagued my mind and made my body stiff, my neck sore, my mood heavy with stress. My family soon found ourselves in a new routine. We spent more quality time together since we were no longer rushing to get to activities. There was more time for dinner and meaningful conversation. However, there was still a heaviness, and everything seemed to be wrapped in a layer of anxiety. An unexpected text from my sister-in-law (who is an animal control officer) changed our lives. A darling 3-year-old black and white miniature poodle had just been dropped off at the shelter. Her elderly owner had died of COVID-19, and this sweet dog needed a home. After a quick family meeting, it was unanimous; we wanted the dog! Gia immediately became more than a pet; she became a source of comfort and calm to me. With a sweet temperament, she always seemed to know when I was full of anxiety. Each night I would sit on the couch watching the nightly news, my body tight and sore, the rigidness seeping into my muscles that comes with prolonged stress. Unaware at first that I was even doing it, I would reach for Gia, who would lay close to me, and begin stroking her fur. Often, her silky pink tongue would lick my hand, and the combination soothed and relaxed my body. Even as worry began to swirl in my mind, the questions continuing: when will it be our turn to catch this virus? Will I have lasting effects from it? Gia was there, her warm body lying beside mine, her soft fur between my fingers relaxing my body and easing my mind. During this COVID-19 pandemic, I had read that almost all the rescue dogs had been adopted across the nation. I guess I was not the only person in need of emotional comfort during this isolating time. This pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone I know. I feel so grateful that Gia came into our lives during this pandemic. This sweet dog has become more than a pet. She has become an emotional support dog for my daughter when she is lonely and a physical companion for my son when he needs to run crazy through the house. Gia is there when my nerves are frazzled from worry about the pandemic. She gently lays her warm body next to mine, as if knowing I need her near me to ease my anxiety. I stroke her soft fur, close my eyes, and remind myself to BREATHE.
• 2021-01-21

  Waiting to Hug

  My mom is 79 years old. Next month she will turn 80. Her age and health history put her at risk if she were to contract covid. Therefore, she has isolated herself for almost a year. Both my brother and I bring her food and supplies and talk to her constantly. We also see her often safely socially distanced and with masks. Since this is a very special birthday, I am not sure yet how we will celebrate. For other birthdays in our family, we assigned and dropped off food to each other and then went back to our respective homes and ate “together” on Zoom. It was awkward, but it worked. I guess we can do something similar. I just feel bad that my mom has been alone in her house for so long. It will have been almost a year since we have hugged, or anyone has hugged her. She is a tough person though and not letting it get to her at all. I know she misses close contact with my kids though. She misses reading books to them snuggled up on the couch. Thankfully, she will get the first dose of the vaccine on Tuesday. I’ve calculated that by the first week of March, maybe just maybe, we can all give her a big hug, finally.
• 
  2020-05-11

  This is what you want right?

  A heartbreaking video by Destiny Gettings who became sick with Covid-19 and lost her unborn child.
• 
  2020-01-17

  Christmas Without the Joy of Shopping

  My story deals with how I had to change my gift giving approach for my son in the 2020 holiday season. I chose not to shop in stores for his gifts, to reduce my exposure to the virus and avoid passing on a virus from myself to others. Instead, I gave him gift certificates. This change reduced the holiday joy for me, as I greatly enjoy shopping for just the right gifts for him by directly engaging in the shopping experience in a physical location, and he appreciates the effort and the unique gifts I always found for him. This is a response to the #pandemicprompt on the holidays for Arizona State University, HST 580.
• 
  2021-01-16

  Enjoying home life

  This is a brief entry describing some of my favorite personal things to come about from the pandemic. There were many difficulties faced, but still, experiences to enjoy and appreciate.
• 
  2020-12-30

  Mom who gave birth while intubated due to COVID-19 made her ICU nurse the godmother

  From Article: A woman has finally brought her child home after giving birth while fighting COVID-19. On Sept. 23, Monique Jones of Ferguson, Missouri, welcomed Zamyrah Prewitt who arrived at 29 weeks gestation weighing 2 pounds, 5 ounces.
• 
  2020-06-17

  Pandemic Hack: Homemade child’s mask

  This story is about how I "hacked" a pandemic experience: wearing a mask as a young child. I was having trouble finding a mask that my youngest child felt comfortable wearing, so I made one from a pajama shirt she had outgrown! It fit comfortably and brought new life to an old piece of clothing that carries special memories from years past.
• 2020-06-15

  Returning Home

  When the pandemic hit the United States, I was sent home from college on March 18, 2020. I was frustrated and upset, to say the least, because I was finally learning to love my life as a college student. On the bright side, I got to escape the cold bite of a Chicago winter and trade it for sunny Southern California, my home. What I did not expect was the rising tensions between my mother and me that I would have to face. Growing up, my mother and I had a healthy, strong relationship. She was my hero. My mother is a single mom and has been since I was five years old. She is an incredibly kind, hard-working woman, and she means everything to me. Unfortunately, our relationship is not the same as it was when I was a child. I used to blindly agree with her about everything. Spending time on my own in college, I realized I wasn't being myself when I was around her. I had differing opinions and wanted to grow without the influence of my mother. So I did. I grew into my own person and allowed myself to make my own mind up about things. Coming home, my mother was surprised at how I had changed and disliked me in a way she never had before. As weeks passed in our house, tensions between us rose. We didn't do things the same way, had differing priorities, and most importantly, differing personalities. With the pandemic keeping us cooped up in the house most days, anger was bubbling to the surface. It's only natural when two people as stubborn as my mother and me can't confront one another about the shift between us. Luckily, we have not had a large, dramatic outburst. We have since peacefully accepted the fact that we are never going to interact the way we did when I was a kid. I think the pandemic has created a lot of familial tensions such as my own. My friends have called me with their own stories of arguments with the parents and siblings. It would be easy to dimiss this as common as it happens around family reunions for everyone. However, I think what makes familial tensions during the pandemic so unique is how much we rely on each other right now. One of us could catch the virus any day now. One misstep of being unsafe could put my whole family at risk. So despite the disagreements between us, I love my mother more than ever, and I fear for her life more than ever. So many have passed that I and many others have come to understand how important putting aside tensions to love one another truly is.
• 
  2020-06-28

  Pregnant in a Pandemic

  This blog says a lot about the pandemic and how it affects parents to be. It highlights the feelings that would run through the mind of any mom getting pregnant in the current state of the world, and the difficulties with it. It is important that historians can look back and understand the feelings that are going through our mind and how we chose to voice those through writing. A quote that resonated with me in this blog was; “It’s hard not having my husband by my side as I watch our precious miracle wiggle and kick on the ultrasound monitor. To feel robbed of the magical experience we had with our first two. They allowed me to FaceTime him after the exam so that he too could see our healthy baby boy, but it simply didn’t make up for the empty space beside me where he rightfully should have been.”
• 
  2020-11-24

  Mother and employee

  Dana Adkins is a Mother that works at a summertime resort. She discusses how the pandemic impacted her job. Also discussed is how her children handled the changes to their routines.
• 
  2020-11-22

  Angelica S Ramos Portfolio

  Before I started this internship, I was hoping for some direction in my career. I have been out of the workforce for a very long time and was hoping for guidance. I had previous knowledge of public history thanks to a course I had taken early on in this program. It was this same course that pushed me towards pursuing a career in public history. I had always known what I wanted to do; I just didn’t know what it was called. I have acquired so many new skills through this internship experience. Many of these are transferable into my future career. The biggest ones being working with a team asynchronously, creating metadata, and utilizing the best practices for curating and archiving. I also learned how to build a collection, how to utilize my marketing skills and how to run a social media campaign. Moving forward I would love to continue to curate and work on the archive. When thinking about what pushed me out of my comfort zone it is really hard to pinpoint just one aspect. Personally, I am an introvert, this internship pushed me out of my comfort zone socially. I toughly enjoyed talking about ethical issues and best practices with my classmates. Starting this course was overwhelming and the feeling of jumping into the unknown was uncomfortable. Looking back now I have no regrets about choosing to take this course because I have learned so much. The biggest lesson I learned about myself is that I have found what I love to do. I started my historical journey three years ago when I went back to school. I decided on a history degree because I love history but had no idea what I wanted to do with my degree other than I didn’t want to teach. This experience has solidified my desires to go into public history. Although I learned a lot throughout this internship, the connections I have made are more valuable. Through this internship I have met many like-minded people who have already become an important part of my educational journey. I look forward to the next chapter in my life and hoping that leads me to a career in archiving and curating.
• 
  2020-11-17

  Women Face Unique Issues During Pandemic

  For millions of working women, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered a rare and ruinous setback. Job losses, childcare closings and remote schooling are not just pushing women out of jobs they held, but also preventing many from seeking new ones.
• 
  2020-11-18

  Working Full Time as a Mother and Student During a Pandemic: Interview with Ashley Trayler

  The interview is with Ashley Trayler, a senior undergraduate student majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Ashley is not only a student but a mother of a two-year-old named Adrian. In the interview, Ashley discusses her life before the pandemic, which involved taking care of her son and working full time at a call center. Once the pandemic hit, Ashley was impacted by job loss, facing financial obstacles, and being a college student transitioning to virtual school. Ashley has made many sacrifices to adapt to obstacles that have come her way caused by COVID-19, but she has remained strong by taking herself and prioritizing her health to be the best mother, student, and person she can be.