When the spate of school closures began as a result of COVID-19, many people (myself included!) thought the closures might not last more than two weeks.

As a result, we made plans and established our mindset for a two-week shutdown.

Unfortunately, the virus has proven more difficult to eradicate than expected, and what was once a two-week shutdown has — for many schools across the country — lengthened into a three-month shutdown.

Here’s the problem: because the lockdown keeps being pushed out incrementally, many of us haven’t re-evaluated our plans.

But what worked for two weeks may not be the best fit for three months!

Some families went into this determined to change as little as possible. Parents went about working from home, homeschooling the kids, keeping the house clean, planning quarantine crafts, ad infinitum.

And now? Some are on the verge of a breakdown. It’s time to step back and think, “OK, I could handle this for two weeks, but what can we do to make this more sustainable for the long-term?”

Other families went into the shutdown looking at it as an extended spring break. And I want to be clear that I pass NO JUDGEMENT on either of these approaches; I am simply sharing them.

But those in the second camp might also want to step back and think, “Two weeks of goofing around is one thing, but are there ways we can continue to grow during this time?”

In every single case, you need to do what is best for you as a family.

The only mistake you can make? Not re-evaluating your original plan in light of the new information.