In the first week of the new year 2021 when the number of daily cases surpassed the 60,000 mark, the UK went into its third - national lockdown. It was thought that one in 50 people in private households in England had the virus that week - rising to one in 30 in London. At a Downing Street news conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he would not guarantee that all children would be back in school before the summer holidays but insisted he was full of "optimism and fundamental hope" that things would be different in the spring.
Asian Voice reached out to a few mothers to know how they are coping with this lockdown.
Nishma Gosrani OBE told Asian Voice about how she is managing her time at home with kids. She said, “Similar to the previous lockdown - (albeit this time my son has started school and his school has set up structured classes). We have created a small group of families we’re close with and are sharing pools of resources, whether it's meal plans, activity schedules or feedback.”
“The nature of this crisis requires that we find safe and responsible ways to help each other while upholding our responsibilities at work and at home. Lean on other parents (virtually) to share responsibility, looking out especially for those that might need extra help.”
“I believe it’s very important to accept that things are not going to run completely smoothly and we aren’t going to be our 100% productive selves. But with tempered expectations, a flexible approach and resourcefulness, we’ll all be amazed at how we can adapt.”
“With any luck, we’ll emerge from this crisis even stronger and more collaborative: a modern take on an age-old approach to parenting albeit exhausted! There is no doubt that it is even tougher this time round!”
While Gosrani and her kids have adapted well to the change in circumstances, the story varies from household to household, mother to mother.
Behavioural scientist, author and speaker Dr Pragya Agarwal’s daughter was to be home for Christmas but little did anyone anticipate that a national lockdown would follow. Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Agarwal said, “Our eldest lives in London, and hasn't been back home to the north-west where we live since June 2020. She was due to be home for Christmas but then Tier 4 was suddenly imposed. It was devastating for us, as she was likely to be all alone since all her housemates were rushing back home before the regulations came into force at midnight. But she made a sensible decision to follow the rules, and adhere to safety regulations and we respected it no matter how heart-broken we all were to not have her home for Christmas for the very first time.”
Dr Agarwal is also a mother to 4 year-old twins and it has been extremely tough for her to have them home and homeschool them while also continuing with her very high-pressured job.
In this context, she said, “I am an author, speaker and consultant and have been working non-stop, doing remote talks, finishing my latest book, writing articles, while keeping them occupied, finding activities for them, doing phonics, numbers and reading. It is stressful, and there is also a lot of guilt when I have to leave them in front of the TV for a meeting or an urgent deadline. They miss their friends, and are bored because of their usual routine being disrupted. The school has sent recordings and print-outs but there is no live engagement and so it is really up to us as parents to keep the learning going and reinforce what they had already learnt. We are focussing more on experiential learning but that takes up a lot of active engagement and time, of course. I work with them on my shoulders, on my knees, climbing onto my chair, and with them running around my office. I've had to adapt to this since last year and find ways to create headspace even when I can't even hear myself think. I know that the lockdown is extremely crucial to stay safe, and to keep others safe, but at the same time it hasn't been easy and I worry about the toll it is taking on my children's and my mental health.”
