Alone Time

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SUBSCRIBE to TIME Magazine This week, I spent substantial time alone for the first time in many months. My husband took our girls camping in Acadia National Park, an adventure that felt safe under these circumstances. I stayed home to work, a reality that felt unavoidable under these circumstances. I was sad to miss out on memorable moments: hiking, seeing sunsets, eating s'mores. Especially the s'mores. But being home alone was like a luxury vacation compared to camping (which I do not love) with my kids (whom I do love, but absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder). I did not miss the pressure to wrap up long work days, clean up dinner dishes, and break up stupid squabbles. I enjoyed reading, taking walks, and seeing a friend who always brings me joy. But I spent more of my time alone confronting tough truths: Our country is a heartbreaking mess. The coronavirus shows no sign of slowing. My office and local schools show no sign of reopening. I'd been in constant motion and hadn't slowed down to grieve the pleasures and routines I'm starting to accept will not return. I guess the grass is always greener. I assumed having time to myself would make me feel sane. But it made me feel sad. What can I extrapolate from this? Maybe I'm better off being busy. Maybe my kids keep me grounded. Or maybe I just need to eat some s'mores. How have you been feeling? Write me at andrea@time.com to let me know. Best, Andrea     MORE STORIES Two years ago, TIME spoke with teachers about how wage stagnation and budget cuts were affecting them. We've followed up with those teachers about how they're preparing for an unprecedented school year.  Parents have tough choices to make about school in the COVID-19 era. Here's how they handled similar choices when it came to polio in the 1950s.  Do your kids like SpongeBob SquarePants? Then they'll want to watch The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run when it's released in January—and you might just want to watch it, too. The president of Paramount Animation told TIME that when she saw the film for the first time, she was moved to tears. COVID-19 is making a "normal" college experience impossible this year. Here's what that means for the economic model of higher education.  After the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, you may be looking for ways to talk to your kids about race and inequality. I'd like to resurface this reading list of anti-racist books for kids and teens created by Marley Dias, the young founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign.  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 Customer Service P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508 Connect with TIME Find TIME on Facebook Follow TIME on Twitter Subscribe to more TIME Newsletters Get TIME on your Mobile Device Get TIME on your iPad Subscribe to RSS Feed