Every person around the globe has felt the effects of the Coronavirus. It has changed our daily lives, our future plans, our relationships and our livelihoods. Every person has a story but not every story is being told.
I have heard from overwhelmed parents about how difficult it is to homeschool their children or keep them entertained during a quarantine. I have heard from grandparents who are missing their grandchildren, which they insist is the “worst thing ever.” What about those of us who do not and cannot have children? Many assume we have easy, stress-free lives during lockdowns. Our stories are not heard.
So, what is it like to be childless during a worldwide pandemic? Here’s my perspective as a married, childless woman in her 30s.
SOCIAL MEDIA: All my social media feeds were filled with posts of children and parents, which added to my feeling of being left out. Every day, I saw images of families baking bread together, playing board games, or working on homework around the table. There were numerous posts about enjoying incredible quality family time and so many “jokes” about the upcoming baby boom in nine months. It was painful. I realized just how quiet and empty my house is without children. After a few weeks, I limited my time on social media to preserve my sanity.
HOBBIES: My life soon consisted of either being at work or at home, with the same routine every day. It felt like I was living in a gray world now, with all the color taken away. The things that made my life so fun and full of color were now halted, including seeing friends and family, shopping, eating at restaurants, and going to events. All our upcoming trips were cancelled. I tried to focus on the hobbies that I could still do while home, like reading, watching movies, or making crafts (and sewing lots of face masks!).
RELATIONSHIPS: Pre-virus, my husband and I enjoyed spending time with our nieces and nephews, friends and their children, as a way to still influence the next generation. We now found ourselves limited to only seeing them online, which was a good substitute but was not the same. It was difficult to celebrate birthdays through a computer screen. I missed seeing other people and longed to give hugs.
Lockdown has not been easy without children. I believe it has been hard on everyone. Parents have their struggles (even if they don’t post about them!). My single friends also have their challenges too, like eating all of their meals alone and battling isolation. We have all been affected by the virus.
My overall takeaway during COVID? Kindness. Everyone is stressed and doing the best that they can. I need to have kindness for others and for myself. Being kind to myself means staying away from social media and getting fully engrossed in my hobbies. We need to treat each other well, because you don’t know their story!
By a married, childless woman