To the Editor:
For many families, last week was hard.
It was hard to stay home, it was hard to enjoy their new lives, it was hard to stay positive.
Today starts another week.
Many parents are feeling the weight of this new life, while many kids are feeling the absence of their old life.
For some, this will be nearly six weeks in isolation — no colleagues, no family, and no friends. Like six weeks on a totally new planet.
And today we start yet another week.
It’s another week to do everything on your list — or —to do nothing on your list.
Allow yourself to do nothing, and realize it’s OK.
Allow your kids to do nothing, and realize it’s OK.
Whatever happens this week — it’s OK.
I’m proud to see the good that’s come from this community in the past month — but I hope that if you or your kids get frustrated with this new life — you know that it’s OK.
You may get off track, your kids may freak out, your dog may accomplish more than you do.
It’s all OK. We will get through this together, one week at a time.
With hope,
Jaime Bairaktaris,
Westport
Jaime Bairaktaris is a Westport resident and volunteer EMS crew chief. He is the Connecticut State Department of Education’s 2020 Paraeducator of the Year and serves on the State Paraeducation Advisory Council through his work at Redding Elementary School.
