Additional Needs

Looking on the bright side

Posted by Carolyn Voisey on 25th March 2020 Additional Needs, Advice & Support, Disabilities

Share this article

Things all feel very surreal at the moment. I’m old enough to remember the SARs outbreak, but this covid-19 really seems to have thrown the world into a panic like nothing else.

Like many in our community, Dude, J and I have taken the decision to self-isolate to keep him safe. Both he and I are on the vulnerable list (him far more so); making the switch to working from home fulltime hasn’t been a big one as its something that I do semi-regularly anyway. In that respect we’re lucky.

Good is coming out of this crisis already however – community spirit is slowly coming back.

Suddenly, people are thinking about their elderly neighbours, about the families with vulnerable loved ones where they live. Acts of kindness are being seen and reported regularly. As a family, we are already aware of just how much good there is in this world – the amount of support, love and help we’ve had from complete strangers never fails to humble me. But how good is it to see this humanity spreading out across towns, counties and countries?

Isolating is tough. There is no getting round that… the Dude is missing his friends, he misses his teachers, TAs, his driver and passenger assistant who he adores.  Entertaining him is exhausting, but at the same time I’m being forced to slow down. I can’t maintain my usual manic pace as circumstances prevent me from doing so.

This week alone I’ve spent more quality time with my son than I’ve managed in months and it is BRILLIANT.

I’m being stricter with my work hours – being at home means I stick to 9-5, leaving my evenings free for him and his Dad… usually I’d spend several hours every evening working and checking emails.

This week we’ve baked, read stories, watched cartoons together and Daddy has helped him build lots of Lego. I’ve been able to help Daddy with the housework, so he’s not as tired or stressed as usual either.

It’s a difficult and scary situation for everyone right now. But that doesn’t mean that everything is bad. As SN families we are good at adapting and riding the waves life throws our way… yes, we’re anxious, but we’re also prepared x