I Don’t Want To Keep My Child Home In The Fall, But I Don’t Really Have A Choice

Like so many other parents, I’m faced with the tough decision about whether or not to send my child back for in-person classes in the fall.

While my district has yet to release their reopening plans, this decision is something I’ve been thinking about for months.

My child has an underlying health condition, so I worry about how Covid-19 would affect him if he were to get it. Wearing a mask for an extended period of time is also not an option for him because of his condition.

As a single mom, I feel this decision weighing on me even more because, ultimately, I’m the one with the final say. If I keep him home and homeschooling is a complete disaster, that’s on me.

If I send him to in-person classes and he gets sick, that’s on me, too. It’s a lose-lose situation either way I look at it.

I’ve asked for guidance from his medical providers and teachers, but at the end of the day, this decision is mine to make.

I’m sure many of you are feeling the same emotions I’m feeling right now- frustration, fear, sheer exhaustion at the thought of working and homeschooling for an entire year. Add into that the whole single-mom thing, and some days I just want to throw my hands up and ask someone else to make the decision for me.

I look back on those last few school days in March with longing. Dropping my son off at school and heading off to work- no masks, no anxiety about the coronavirus- everything was just normal, and I wish I hadn’t taken those days for granted the way I had.

As I make this decision, I’m also grateful that I even have the option to homeschool my child. I’m now able to work from home full-time, which has been the biggest blessing during this entire pandemic. I know that there are so many parents out there that don’t have that option, and my heart goes out to you. Having to decide between your job and your child’s health has to feel incredibly overwhelming.

None of us could have ever imagined when we became parents that we would someday be faced with a global pandemic and all these monumental decisions that came along with it. We all need to give ourselves a little grace during this time. We were all thrown into this- although I don’t like this expression- “new normal”, and none of us really know how to handle it.

Day by day, one decision at a time. That’s all I can do. That’s all any of us can do.

As I think about this decision regarding school, I know there really isn’t any other choice for me but to keep my son home for the year. It’s just really hard to come to terms with that. It makes me so sad for him. He’ll be missing out on so much valuable time with his friends and teachers. On the other hand, I’m also grateful for this unique opportunity to spend so much time with him that I otherwise wouldn’t have had, if not for the pandemic.

Whether you’re sending your child back for in-person classes, keeping them home, or a hybrid of both, know that you are doing the very best you possibly can for your child, and that they will be okay.
This generation of children will grow up to be adults that know the true meaning of not taking anything for granted.

They’ll remember the time where they couldn’t leave their house without their faces covered, and they’ll be grateful for the chance to breathe freely while they shop.

They’ll instill in their own children the importance of going to school, because they’ll remember when they didn’t have the option. They’ll know the true meaning of family, and how when the entire world has been flipped upside down, all you have is each other to lean on.

I don’t want to keep my child home in the fall, but I do want my child to be safe, so I will. I will take this opportunity to be a crucial part of his academic success, and I will love on him a little more, because we all need a little extra love right now.

About The Author

Lindsay is a writer and single mom whose mission is to remind other women going through a divorce or breakup that they are strong, beautiful, and worthy of all the good things life has to offer. You can find more of her writing on her blog or follow her on Instagram.