Daniella and Ryan
Returning family with a new baby
When parents are both working from home for the first time, and young kids need attention, home life can feel like it’s bursting at the seams. For this family, returning to KinderCare with a new baby and a preschooler was a necessary choice and a testament to how resilient humans are (even tiny ones). Hear their story.
Daniella: I'm just trying to find the silver lining with every situation. As a healthcare worker, I'm working at home, remotely. I was always jealous of Ryan because he gets to work from home …
Ryan: Now you're not so jealous anymore!
Daniella: [laughs] No.
Ryan: So, I think that idea of us being home all hours of the day for a long time - it was dealing with things that we had never really dealt with, both good and bad, because we were now teachers and working at the same time. All of a sudden: Alright now we're all in the same house trying to juggle all these different things at once! And just the changes—it's almost like on a week-to-week basis that something new will happen.
"We were really hesitant about sending Owen back to school … and it was flawless. He's a lot more resilient and independent than we gave him credit for. And Graham, as with most COVID babies, was so attached. He has done really well … it's impressive."
Daniella: At first it was a huge shock and an adjustment. But hey, we were gifted this time to spend home together. Our youngest, Graham—he just turned one. I didn't have to go off to work and leave him for ten-hour days and pump multiple times at work. And then Owen—he's four—probably would've been the most stoked that he could wear pjs all day, every day!
We were really hesitant about sending Owen back to school and how that transition would be, and it was flawless. So, I think we've learned he's a lot more resilient and independent than we gave him credit for. And Graham, as with most COVID babies, was so attached. And he has done really well too with his teachers. It's impressive.
Ryan: There was so much unknown, and I think [Owen] would just handle that by going and doing … "well, you know, now I do this, now I do that." He's been pretty resilient.
It's so funny: When we first sent Owen to school, four years ago, he'd get the daycare colds and things like that …. so, we were really worried about sending [Graham]. And I don't know if it's because we're always checking everyone now if, like, you have a fever you can't come and all that good stuff, but he handled it like a champ.
