I don’t know about you but I have been struggling with working full time and kids doing homeschooling.

It basically has been a complete mess and a disaster in our house. For me the reason is clear, 2 kids are the same age and at the same level and 1 is not. The 1 who is not is the person who wants to play, have fun, not do school work or in fact anything he is supposed to do.

This means that the 2 kids that have work to do cannot do their work due to interruptions, tantrums and very bad behaviour. When this does occur I end up leaving my work to sort it out to then have to calm this child down and distract him from his sisters. However, this never lasts and there are many back and forth disasters that have to get sorted and then the kid in question wants you to stay with him and play. I would love to do this but I cannot due to the fact I need to work and get things done too.

We are approaching the end of the 9th week of lockdown…yes we have been in lockdown for 9 weeks! And have more to come.

It is not just homeschooling that I am having issues with, it is the fact that all kids are eating everything in sight (as soon as something is purchased it is gone in seconds, I kid you not!), not tidying up and arguing when they make a mess. It is a struggle and an argument to get them to anything you ask. Maybe this is their age or could it be lockdown is causing naughty behaviour? Please let me know. I do think it is an age thing as this was happening well before lockdown.

Today the NSW, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the back to school plan. I personally don’t think it will happen with the rate of infections but it does look like more and more are getting the vaccine so maybe this will let us reopen sooner. I do worry that if we open up people will go crazy and socialise and then we will be in lockdown yet again.

According to the ABC Website, this is what is going to happen or at least planned:

“A staggered return to face-to-face learning will begin on Monday, October 25. Students will return in the following order:

• October 25: Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 (some Year 12 students have already returned to classrooms in a limited way, but they will be back full-time from this date)
• November 1: Year 2, 6 and 11
• November 8: Year 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10

Currently, all of NSW is in lockdown. If stay-at-home orders are lifted in any part of the state before October 25, students will return to school then too.”

Kids don’t have to be vaccinated but it is encouraged and today the government has added kids from 12-15 years of age have been added to the vaccine rollout. However, even with this update, I cannot book my 12-year-old kids in anywhere. The booking systems are not accepting kids this age and the doctors haven’t been updated on the change, when I rang they said to try next week. Although if you have an underlying health condition that would change the eligibility for booking a child from 12-15 years in for a covid vaccination.

Although some reports online have said by the end of the year all kids in this age group should be vaccinated. Let’s hope that is correct.

Teachers need to be all vaccinated and masks are compulsory for teachers and from what I have seen a requirement for high school and recommended for primary school kids too.

I watch other social media updates from other parents and see their picture-perfect kids that have magically done every last piece of work that was assigned to them from school. It makes me wonder if my kids have done everything they need to do, and then I think of the craziness that is my house at the moment and the answer is NO, they have done as much as they can and probably not everything.

It would be nice to post these types of posts but maybe this is not my family. It could be possible that there were a few arguments behind the picture-perfect posts too that I have no idea of.

My kids have been cooking and helping around the house, helping with their baby brother and just trying to not go insane with the fact we cannot go anywhere. Our only solace is that we live in a very large LGA (Local Government Area/Council) and we can take refuge in some lovely bush walks.

So I am counting down the weeks left of lockdown and we have 5 more weeks, so that will total 11 weeks, and I don’t believe that will be the end of it.

I am sure we will be in lockdown until all the kids go back to school, possibly another 2 more months till November.

Do you believe NSW will be out of lockdown at the end of September? Do you think kids will go back as the government has outlined today? Also, when do you really think kids from 12 years onwards will be able to be vaccinated.

Once kids from 12 years on can get the jab, will they be giving it to younger kids? My little boy will then be the only one not vaccinated and he is under the age to get the jab at the moment.

Being at home with everyone constantly is very stressful and I for one am keen for it all to end. I hope you are feeling okay if you are in lockdown too.

Take care and if you wish to chat about this please send me an email.

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