Things my sons have learned while sheltering in place since March 16, how to make the perfect margarita for their mother, how to drown out the noise of zombie movies while doing their homework and how to annoy their father with music he hates.
I was kidding about the margarita, but they both have become adept at opening wine bottles and proper pouring.
The youngest, who is still in high school, is getting his schoolwork lined up and doing his assignments daily.
Like me, he went from cautious to nervous to panicked at breakneck speed. Unlike me, he handled it like a grownup.
I hadn’t really noticed how well he was coping or how much things had changed until I witnessed his first online English class courtesy of Fredericksburg ISD.
The students in this class were acting up and clowning around via computer screen as the teacher reined them in.
It was startling to hear and see. Surprising, because I hadn’t seen our 17-year-old son laugh and hoot like a teenage boy, since March 16.
He’s been somber, responsible, respectable and helpful at home, limiting his contact with friends and girlfriend.
Listening to those students saddened me as much as it made me laugh.
These teenagers were blowing off some steam. I have to hand it to their teacher, who understood them and let them whoop it up this first meeting since they’ve been out of school.
I’m proud of how my sons and this generation have adapted.
It’s not just my kid I’m talking about either. I have seen and spoken to other teens from an acceptable social distance.
I’ve seen them volunteer to grocery shop for seniors, adhere to the social distancing rules, help with chores and pitch in at their parent’s workplace.
This generation of children will have incorporated this trauma into their growth and future lives, much like the kids who suffered the affects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 did.
Like the Katrina Kids, this generation will also wind up dealing with the economic fallout of the pandemic.
The oldest, who is 19, flew in from Hawaii, where he was stationed in Maui as part of the AmeriCorps program, gave this pandemic the respect and weight it deserves, unlike his mother.
Because he flew in from Maui to Oakland to Las Vegas then to San Antonio, he imposed his own 14-day self-quarantine to protect others.
It’s something I didn’t consider until I asked him if he would like to go with me to the store, and was met with a resounding no.
Those disaster relief classes he had to go through really made a difference, just like the FISD online courses are making a difference in students’ lives.
As much as I appreciate how our children have adapted and grown in this crisis, I have come to appreciate when they act like young kids.
I was pleased as punch to see how my youngest still manages to annoy the man of the house, a music snob, with pop tunes.
Instead of using 80’s hits like Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” as I do, he’s been playing him “Yummy” by Justin Bieber.
All I have to say about the precious time I’ve gotten to spend with my children (and their father agrees) is that their teachers get paid too little.
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