To keep the girls occupied, my husband ordered a giant set of dominos that arrived yesterday. My older daughter, Anna, cunningly calculated the ratio of frustration to fun and walked away after an hour. But Rosie got lost in a long project. While on work calls, I repeatedly heard the sound of dominos crashing and shrieks of frustration. At one point, I tried to help her. But I soon lost my cool and had to leave the room, cursing my husband for buying such an annoying toy.
Rosie kept at it. With determination, she got the job done. Don't get me wrong—I'm not pretending this was some major accomplishment. Playing isn't a hardship, and I can't compare Rosie's perseverance with that of children who face real obstacles to success. But watching this little girl work for hours to build something that took mere moments to topple was a metaphor I couldn't ignore.
As a parent, I've taken steps to build an ordered life for my family, falling and getting back up countless times. As a working parent, I rely on a fragile network of small, dependent parts. Then here comes coronavirus! In a matter of months, the routines we built our world around have collapsed. Take away school and childcare and you start a domino effect that brings the whole structure down.
I wish I were more like Rosie, greeting each setback as a chance to try something different, and improve. Maybe I'd even have some fun with all the failures. Have you learned life lessons from your kids? Have you started to rebuild? Write to me at andrea@time.com. This crisis isn't a game. But maybe we can still share some small wins.
TIME correspondent Karl Vick writes that being confined at home with family can be "like living inside a poem, the pressures of form and protocol concentrated on the everyday."
Look inside the quest to understand the link between Kawasaki disease and COVID-19.
J.K. Rowling's latest story will be published online for free to entertain families who are stuck at home due to the pandemic.
TIME for Kids and our creativity partner Adobe launched episode 7 of our weekly video series. In this episode, Drew and Rosie draw with beloved author and artist Raina Telgemeier.
TIME for Kids has launched its search for the Kid of the Year! Nominate a kid who's making a difference in your community.
To Unsubscribe You have received this e-mail because you are subscribed to this newsletter from TIME.com. Unsubscribe here.
Update Email Click here to update your email address.
Privacy Policy Please read our Privacy Policy, or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://time.com/privacy
TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
For Further Communication Please contact parents@time.com TIME USA, LLC 3 Bryant Park New York, NY 10036
