I have a 10-year-old nephew. He’s amazing. I don’t see him enough. But when I do we have lots of fun.
Thanks to Covid-19 seeing him is fairly impossible. Getting to him requires two train rides and a cruise on the Staten Island Ferry. After all of that, a 5-minute car ride or 10 minutes walk. It is worth it.
These days even the family near him doesn’t see him. Mother’s Day was socially distant. He went to his grandparents’ homes. But he never went in. He sat in the car in their driveways, smiled and they yelled hello from the front door. A few phone calls were made to people in other boroughs. He’s supposed to graduate fifth grade in a few weeks. While it is not high school graduation or college, it is important. I had to fight with my parents about my high school graduation. I was on camp staff. Graduation day was the second day of staff week. I wanted to go to summer camp. I saw no reason to go to the graduation ceremony. It is not like I loved Tottenville High School. I hated it. I went to the ceremony and had dinner with the family. The next morning I was in camp.
Unfortunately, he will likely never get the chance to do the elementary school ceremony. He probably would have enjoyed it. Will he get to camp? Will I get to go? I only go for a few days. Unknown.
He’s seen plenty of the great movies — Avengers, Harry Potter and the greatest of them all, Star Wars. Will the next year or so of his life be stuck at home? When will he or any of us enjoy the next round of films? How will he enjoy the things a preteen should? He has been to baseball games but not enough and now he’s at the age where he’d understand the game better.
He’s at the same point with the Marvel, Star Wars and other movies. Will he be able to go to the park and skate with his friends? Will he remember what it was like to go out without a mask and gloves? And have real family and playdates? Will he or any of us get to have the good ‘ole days of strolling along Museum Mile, walking through the Village or riding the Cyclone?
Will life as we knew it just be a photo album on Facebook? Or will it be better?
Other posts can be viewed at:
“Pandemic Watch: What will happen when I get released on parole?”
“Pandemic Watch: We live in interesting times,”
https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/pandemic-watch-we-live-in-interesting-times
“Pandemic Watch: Dressing during the Covid-19 pandemic,”
“Pandemic Watch: Yes, it is Monday,”
https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/pandemic-watch-yes-it-is-monday
“How skills I learned as a teen in the scouts help during the Covid-19 pandemic, “
“How the Covid-19 pandemic causes us to rethink old habits,”
“Traveling on public transit and being outside during the Covid-19 pandemic,” https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/traveling-on-public-transit-and-being-outside-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
“Grocery shopping during Covid-19. Or anytime,” https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/28/grocery-shopping-during-covid-19-or-anytime
“I want to help restaurants during the pandemic. But…,”
“Masks and gloves,” https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/608
“Trashy Parks,”
https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/trashy-parks
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