How did we get here already? The Covid babies are starting kindergarten in August and 2020 feels like a literal lifetime ago.
The babies that came into a world of unknown are about to walk through school doors for the first time and I think that while that represents something different for all of us, it shows a tremendous amount of strength.
Strength and courage of the women navigating pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the fourth trimester.
Strength of the men who weren’t allowed to be there for the firsts, the appointments, and the births.
Strength of the babies that knew nothing different for years. Masks, hand sanitizer, anxiety, and lots of Lysol were their normal.
Strength of older siblings who had to miss out and adapt to the new normal.
Bringing a child into the world in 2020, for lack of a better word, was terrifying. No matter what role you played, there was a whole lot of unknown, fear, and what-ifs.
But it’s been five years since 2020 and we’ve watched these kids grow. We’ve seen them overcome social challenges from the initial isolation they faced. We’ve seen them adapt to speech after the removal of masks. We’ve watched them build an immune system after entering back into society.
If you had a baby in 2020, you faced more than any new parent needed to. I see you. I was you. And here we are. We made it.
Even though we are past the chaos that was bringing a new baby into the world of 2020, we are still facing unknowns and worries. How will these kids develop? How will they test compared to children who didn’t face isolation their first year or so of life? How will we, as parents, face the challenges that may or may not come?
I wish I had the answers, but no one does. We are going to walk these babies to their first day of kindergarten with loaded backpacks, big smiles, and the tightest hugs — because we made it. Together. Somehow we navigated all the unknowns and made it to the other side.
2020 was wild. It was scary. It was long. It was dreary. It was different. And all those feelings were magnified if you brought home a new baby.
These 2020 kids are different. (If you have one, you know!) We may all joke about it, but they really are a testament to strength, love, courage, bravery, and determination.
I can’t wait to see what our Covid babies do. I know it will be great. They were made for it.
