Changes in family life hit home

Covid-19 is an infectious disease that causes respiratory issues and can be fatal to the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. This virus spreads extremely fast and has become a global pandemic, causing many countries to issue stay-at-home orders. 

Ever since then, individuals across the nation and the world have had to adjust to this novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, by staying inside, only being allowed to leave for emergency issues such as buying food, walking your dog, or going to work.

My mother, Carol Leggett-Braxton, is one of the many people whose life has changed dramatically because of the outbreak. She is a daycare teacher at Kingdom Kids. As a childcare provider, her responsibilities were to nurture and comfort infants and toddlers.

“My typical day consists of keeping a daily log of the infants’ bottles, when they’re being changed, and to notify parents of any activities that they have done in the day,” Leggett answered when asked how a normal day would have transpired. “I would also make sure all of the equipment was cleaned and prepared before the day would start.”

Kingdom Kids has since been closed until further notice, causing her daily routine to change considerably in the past month.

“My daily routine has changed a lot because I don’t have to be anywhere at any certain times anymore,” Leggett says. “I don’t even have a normal sleep schedule anymore. Things have really been different.”

Like most people with jobs, she has been subjected to working at home via video calling through Zoom, emailing through Gmail, and normal texting and phone calling.

“I still have to complete assignments sent to me from the director and, as far as meetings go, they’re virtual,” Leggett answered when asked how a work day is like now, compared to a month ago. “We still have to train and take classes to better ourselves as daycare workers, virtual or not.”

Although Leggett is still working, she’s unsure if she’ll continue to get paid as the time continues to go by.

“At this time, I am still getting paid my normal salary but, since there’s no telling when this will end, I’m not sure if I will continue to get paid,” Leggett states. “The m

ajority of the revenue comes from the tuition that parents pay for their children to attend Kingdom Kids, so money may become an issue in the not so far future.”

Despite the many negatives this virus has caused, Leggett has gained a new perspective on how important it is to stay connected. 

“I get to spend a lot of time with my family now,” Leggett exclaims. “I still wonder when this will all end but we just have to continue to wait this out together.”