Photo: Pixabay.com
Lindie Koorts writes on Facebook:
So many things that are bothering me right now. I was desperately hoping the government would lift the restriction on book-buying – because if takeaways can be delivered, so can books! We have worked our way through Lukas’ collection of children’s books several times, and I am desperate for some new additions, for both our sakes – this lockdown is loooong!
We have tried, and it is now official: Lukas really cannot handle any screen time beyond a video-chat with his grandparents or playmates. It completely messes up his ability to self-regulate, while books have the exact opposite effect. They calm him, they entertain him, and they delight him. They are our staple and our sustenance.
And then I am intensely, intensely uncomfortable with the prospect of schools reopening while our infection rate is on the rise. As a parent, one’s first task is the very basic matter of keeping one’s child alive. It is that terrible fear you feel on that first night when you return from the hospital with your newborn: how do I keep this little thing alive? Only after that comes the matter of actually raising them. And sending them to school in the midst of a global pandemic, when infection rates are rising, and predictions are being made of tens of thousands of deaths by October, screams against one’s parental instincts.
We are lucky – Lukas is only in nursery school, and we are under no obligation to send him if we fear for his safety (plus, YOU try teaching a class of three-year olds to wear masks and practice social distancing – toddlers are germ machines!), but I feel deeply for every parent of school-aged children who may be wrestling with their fear for their children’s safety – while also being deeply concerned about their children’s academic future.
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"As a parent, one’s first task is the very basic matter of keeping one’s child alive." Behalwe natuurlik as die reg tot aborsie ter sprake kom, dan geld dié reël nie meer nie.