Grandparenting: Anticipating March 11

March 11th, 2020 — or was it March 12th, or a few days before or beyond that? Each of us has a date and time etched in our minds when we knew that the COVID-19 pandemic was upon us. Now, the anniversary of that date is fast approaching. What, if anything, do we do to mark it? And how do we convey our thoughts and feelings about this milestone to our grandchildren? Anyone who has reached grandparenthood has collected anniversaries along the way. There are anniversaries of joyful occasions, and ones that serve as painful reminders of loss. There are the personal anniversaries — the births and deaths of loved ones — and public ones, including 9/11, the moon landing, and (for those of us in our mid-60s and older) the deaths of JFK, RFK, and MLK. For many of us, the upcoming anniversary of the pandemic has elements of loss and triumph that feel both deeply personal and assuredly communal. How has the pandemic affected your relationship as a grandparent? Many grandparents have been unable to see their grandchildren up close and personal. Others have been more fortunate, spending time with grandchildren from the start, but even so this time has been punctuated by COVID fear and COVID scares. No one has been without challenges. Nonetheless, many grandparents find themselves looking back not only on loss, stress, and frustration, but on creativity, resourcefulness, discovery. Who would have imagined last March 11th — the very day the World Health Organization recognized the pa...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Relationships Source Type: blogs