Day 3 of school shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic: How’s everyone doing out there?
Social media seems to have become a friend to many. Facebook posts sharing concerns, comedy relief and news have become the norm. Stories about schooling on the home front and doing other things to keep the kiddos busy have surfaced. Some parents have had to resort to working from home, making life interesting. Others, including this mom, still head to the office and/or balance parenting duties with their spouse or partner..
No worries at the moment. The practice of the new buzz word, “social distancing,” has taken over the newsroom. Editors and reporters are spaced throughout the newsroom or building — this after the editorial staff just relocated to a refurbished area just more than a month ago. Today (March 18, 2020), I fished out two bins to stash photos, desk essentials and other necessities to move to an office just around the bend from the newsroom. I’m settled in and getting used to a much quieter atmosphere.
Getting used to. That phrase takes on a whole new meaning as the pandemic changes the lives we led last week, two weeks ago. Uncertainty looms in many areas, with events listed as canceled or postponed. Will those postponed events eventually be rescheduled? So many questions, not too many answers.
It’s only Day 3. A two-week shutdown for Pennsylvania, but it could go longer. Soo …
Let’s try and take the words of wisdom from the song “Put on a Happy Face” from the musical “Bye Bye Birdie”:
“Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face; brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face … Pick out a pleasant outlook, stick out that noble chin; wipe off that “full of doubt” look, slap on a happy grin!
“And spread sunshine all over the place, just put on a happy face!”
The mom of a dancing teen and a tween who enjoys scouting and hockey, Katie Campomizzi-Clews is a copy editor at The Republican-Herald. She began her career at The RH as a staff writer following graduation from Lycoming College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a minor in psychology. She shares her experiences of balancing work and parenting and takes a look at issues, events and trends concerning parents and children.
