AUSTIN, TX--Today, my kids are home from school. Late yesterday ice began falling from the sky. As a mixture of freezing rain and sleet fell from the sky, the kids rejoiced that they might not have school tomorrow.
A few weeks ago, when snow fell, which is unprecedented for this area, kids were home from school, and online classes were not required. Kids enjoyed a proper snow day, like many of us remember. They put on coats, hats, and gloves, and went outside to play. No academics that day, except for cuddling under a blanket by the fire and reading a good book.
Kids could be kids, and snow days are something COVID hadn't taken away. At least not yet.
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A few weeks ago, when snow fell, which is unprecedented for this area, kids were home from school and online classes were not required. Kids enjoyed a true snow day, like many of us remember. They put on coats, hats, and gloves, and went outside to play. No academics that day, except for cuddling under a blanket by the fire and reading a good book.
Kids could be kids and snow days are something COVID hadn't taken away. At least not yet.
Last night, we lost power. Lucky us, the power line sparked and snapped quite close to our house. We were without electricity for several hours and the kids thought this was "old-fashioned fun." They giggled at the novelty of the idea that the lights didn't work. We played cards and board games while we could see to do so, but reality started to set in when they had to leave the bathroom door cracked so they could see what they were doing in there. The temporary fun quickly ended when they realized they couldn't charge their devices. Then came the school notice that the school building would be closed today and that all classes would be 100% virtual.
Truth be told, we adults began wondering if we had enough blankets for everyone to stay warm throughout the night in case the power didn't come back on. And, since the kids had to attend instruction, how could we charge a device long enough for them to get online and receive their homework if we still didn't have power? We considered going for a drive and charging phones. The power inverter could allow two devices in the back to charge, and we had at least two USB ports up front. No problem. We've got this. Kids can go to school virtually, even if we don't get power back.
As evening gave way into darkness, we still didn't have power. This is about to get interesting. The inside thermostat read 53 degrees. It's getting quite chilly inside. With the temperature dropping this rapidly, pipes could freeze by morning. Fingers crossed, we hoped the power would be back on again soon.
And just then, it happened. My daughter came into the room and flipped the light switch, and the lights worked. Ahh, lights. And the furnace roared. Before long we were getting warm again. Fingers warmed and noses stopped dripping. Lights and heat are treasured. We went to bed warm and thankful for electricity.
Today we fight over internet use and balance tasks and when deadlines to determine who gets to use the internet. Everyone can use a computer, as long as they aren't streaming entertainment, and can stick to the school and work-related tasks that take priority. Sorry kids, just one device at a time. Maybe we've gotten a little spoiled too and we might stream a program while we work. But, not today. Back to school and back to the basics of one device in use at a time.
And, I'm so sorry that COVID has stolen your snow days too.
We can hope for rights of passage to still be true. For a moment they were, but that was a few weeks ago. As we know, things can change quickly and what once was, is no longer true. It used to be that kids could still enjoy a snow day, but that's not true anymore.
Kids, kiss your snow days good-bye. COVID has taken them too.
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