Sequestered with Teens; Day 14
We made it two weeks!! I can’t believe it’s been two weeks. We went on the boat yesterday, but it feels like it was a week ago. I started working from home two weeks ago, but it feels like a few days ago. How can time be so warped in opposite directions at the same time?
Today was a good day. I stopped working when I was scheduled to stop. I played tennis with Phoenix. I sat in the driveway and chatted with Jesse while he washed his truck. I cleaned out the garage a little. I started a new book. We had dinner at a somewhat decent time. We watched a dumb show, and we hit the sack earlier than the 
nights of late. Structure and normalcy never felt so good.
Jesse had to run to the pharmacy, so he dressed for the occasion. (He actually was having difficulty breathing in that apparatus, so he ended up taking it off).
I think it is unreasonable to expect families to truly not leave their houses. There are activities that can be done without close contact with people and restrictions are going overboard (like closing the boat launches and putting a kabosh on fishing!!). Phoenix and I went to the local elementary school tennis courts. They were closed. In case everyone didn’t know… tennis is not a contact sport. We went by the local high school… those courts were full… but so was the football field and track! Full of young people playing soccer, football, and doing other CLOSE-CONTACT activities. So… ‘we’re’ closing tennis courts where there is no close contact, but the football fields are open to all sorts of germ-sharing activities. As my dad says, “Makes a lot of sense… a lot of NONSENSE!”. Of course, my dad would probably follow that up with ranting about how the government is stomping on our rights and how it’s all a conspiracy. lol.
Keeping teenagers home during this time is a huge struggle… I know. But parents need to step up. I’m no dummy… there are some teenagers that are probably just leaving. However, I can’t imagine ALL the kids in the field bullied their way out of the house.
Common sense, boundaries, and balance is key. I’m not keeping my kids home 24/7. I allowed them to go to McDonald’s for a McFlurry. I’ve sent the kids to the store and to the bank. The girls still go to work. We go out on the boat. We go for walks and play tennis. I’ve had people in my yard, but made sure to keep the recommended six feet distance. And honestly, we’ve been locked up for two weeks… at this point, I’m giving them a little more freedom. Freedom with boundaries. The mental health of my family is also important. They can only spend time with other kids that have also been locked up. For the most part, they can’t go IN other people’s houses. They need to respect social distancing. They can’t hang out in groups. I know every time we step foot out of this house, our chances are higher to contract the coronavirus. I also know that life is dangerous, and I’m not going to live in fear. I am going to be cautious, I will hold my family to our boundaries, we will limit our contact with people in order to not GET the virus, or GIVE the virus if we are carrying it without symptoms.
The restrictions we are adhering to feel so tight and suffocating, especially for Alexis and Ayden. Yet, so many people will see them as lax and irresponsible. It is possible to balance the health of our individual families and the health of the community. The scene in the football field showed complete disregard for the health of the community. Organizing a social-distancing-approved- Happy-Birthday-song-rendition for Phoenix’s boyfriend in the front yard respected both the overall health of our families as well as respecting the community.
Well, Phoenix and I finally found courts. She beat me five games to eight. I didn’t beat my dad until I was in my thirties. Ugh. But I guess I wasn’t a varsity tennis player either. Well played Phoenix.
