"Mommy why can't we go to the store?" "Mommy why can't we go shopping?" "Mommy why can't we have our birthday parties like we usually do?" I have been trying to explain to my kids about this coronavirus that has taken over the world,but trying to do so in a way that won't scare them. I want them to know the seriousness of what's going on but I don't want them to end up having nightmares or being deathly afraid of going outside for any reason. Its very difficult to do so when I am scared myself. I sit here in my house thinking about how much things have changed and what that means for our future. I suffer anxiety and depression normally so now it can get pretty bad. My kids are ages 12, 7 and my little one is gonna be 3 in a couple weeks. My son who is a sixth grader now is suppose to be graduating elementary and starting Junior high in the fall. His friends may or may not go to his school and I feel so bad that he's not having the fun he normally would be having come this time of the year. His friends birthday parties and school has been all canceled and I know he thinks about it. My daughter Ciara had a birthday in March which we didn't have a party for her though it was planned. We canceled as the virus keeps getting worse and worse. She says she understands but I don't know if she really understands any of it. I feel so bad that her birthday wasn't filled with friends and presents and just being connected to everybody. But I did tell her we owe her a lot. We got her a couple toys and games for her Nintendo switch and I made her a cake. We celebrated here at home but it wasn't the same. My little one turns 3 in a couple weeks and I am gonna have to do the same thing for Charli as I did for CIara. A little 3 year old doesn't really pay attention to news and the only thing she is worried about is if her tablet is dead or not. We will get her a few things to unwrap and I will make her a cake. I don't have anymore ideas of what we can do for fun. We have played board games, painted, played with playdough and clay and sand, and colored with crayons and markers. We have taught our daughter how to ride her bike and we have spent a lot of time out back and in the front. We chalk it out in the driveway with the 48 different colors of chalk we got from Michaels. We have done the jewelry making with pretty beads and that only keeps them interested so long. We have had so many conversations about life and our dreams and what we want out of life. I just hope we can celebrate things like we used to when all this calms down but when is it going to calm down? Here I am stressing about simple birthdays and social gatherings for my kids when the world is quickly getting farther and farther from us ever getting better. I am so troubled by how many deaths we have had. I am deeply appreciative for those nurses and doctors who have put their lives on the line trying to save people when it's highly contagious. I think they are so brave and we need more people like that in the world. I worry so much how this world is changing. I worry about if someone sneezes in public and if people will even say bless you. I worry if this whole social distancing is going to distant everyone permanently. I worry that from this moment on our normal lives are going to be completely different than what we are used to. One thing that is different is doing the home school part. It's more work for the parents than anything else and I don't even understand it .Im over here googling closed syllables and digraphs and blends while I'm trying to help my daughter with her school assignments. It's been very interesting though and if you have a kid like mine who doesn't sit still , it can be frustrating. But I do hope that this world gets better and stays better. REst in peace to all the ones we have sadly lost and good job to all the nurses and doctors who are trying to save them. With a dumb nut president it's hard for the United States to improve anywhere. This guy is insane with how he is handling all of this. But here I am going off the subject of my kids and this coronavirus. I can only hope and have faith in the American people to stay home and save lives. Don't wait until someone you know or even yourself to get sick for you to take this serious. This is very serious and please think about helping this world not making it worse. The coronavirus can affect anyone and everyone. Its winning this war we are in and what do we do about it? I tell my kids that all we can do is stay home and keep people healthy and wash our hands and social distancing. I have a conversation jar that we draw from every night at dinner. We have had so many different questions some serious some not and some just about imagination. My son had drawn from the jar and his question what if you could come up with an invention what would it be... my son looks down at his plate and he looks up and he said a cure. I thought that was the sweetest thing for him to say.