My son has been a straight-A student since I can remember. His success in school made me so proud and made me try to work harder to give him everything I couldn’t have as a child. Which included access to a computer and internet, participation in all school events, volunteering as much as possible and just always being there for him. He is now a high school senior. The year that he had been waiting for to make me even more proud was here, and he was so happy and excited. This was where it all changed. As we were enjoying senior events, planning graduationand having received several acceptance letters from different universities, the COVID-19 pandemic started. Class of 2020 doesn’t mean what it used to now. Now, his prom, graduation, and all other senior events are cancelled until further notice. I wanted him to experience all of it and now it might not be possible. I’m sure he will at some point be upset about missing these milestones in high school. All I can do for him is motivate him to keep his grades up, look forward to CSUN, and think it will all be over soon, but he seems more worried about me still working in a health care facility than his graduation or events. I have told him to look at it a different way, to thank God we are still healthy and I have a job to be able to support us. Not everyone can say that during this crisis. Yes, it is scary. I have to admit that at some point through all of this I have broken down. It is unsettling to know that you can expose a loved one just by doing your job, but we are here for the people that need us. I may not have a degree or license in health care, but I am still an essential employee and have to do my part throughout this pandemic. These are very difficult times for all of us, but thankfully we still have our health and our jobs. We just have to try to stay positive and believe that the rest will pass with time. We will get through this.
