Quarantine affecting different generations

We’re all at home right now, struggling to make sense of this whole situation. Some dying of boredom, others picking up new hobbies to pass the time. Here’s how my family has been coping.

My grandma, who is in her mid 60s, hasn’t changed her way of life much. The company she works for is considered essential but they had to still make cuts somehow. Everyone in the company will have one week a month where they are placed on furlough.

“Basically what is happening is there is one week a month where we’re laid off. We are not to do anything related to the business,” she said. “No phone calls, no using work computers, nothing. We don’t get paid for the week so they don’t want us doing any kind of work. That’s the only thing different from my normal life. I’ll get to sleep in and nap whenever. It doesn’t feel much different for me other than I get a week to relax.”

My dad’s company is also considered essential. His experience has gone a little different.

“So at my job, I keep lines up and running,” my dad said. “It’s a factory type setting and I make sure everything runs smoothly, fix lines when they’re broken. I just keep everything running. I haven’t had anything different yet. I work 12 hour shifts and then there is quite the commute between home and work so I work, I go home and sleep for maybe 6 hours, then I wake up, have coffee, and head back out to work.”
My mom, however, is a stay at home mom. She has had a lot of time on her hands.

“I am used to constantly running errands and being out,” my mom said. “Having to be home with my son constantly trying to annoy my daughter is stressing me out. He’s bored. She doesn’t want anything to do with his games and pranks. When I’m not having to stop him from being overly annoying, I’ve watched a lot of TV. We don’t have the best connection where we live so I have limited access to the internet. I have never been more bored in my life.”

As she said, my brother has been a major pain to me. Here’s his take on the situation.

“It’s been pretty alright,” my brother said. “I’ve watched a lot of TV. My family says I annoy my sister, I see it as entertaining myself. It’s not my fault she gets annoyed. I’m only twelve so I don’t have much of a life anyway. Now I just get to lay in bed.”

I have been a little more busy. At the beginning of quarantine, I dyed most of my hair pink. I ended up not liking it unless my hair is straight so I have let it fade. A lot of people I have on Snapchat have cut bangs. I had bangs when I was in third grade and I hated it so I went with making my hair pink instead. I tried to pick up painting. I just don’t have patience to follow through with it. Not having great internet makes for an extra boring quarantine. It also makes it hard to do school work. I’m ready for this to all be over, as I’m sure everyone else is too.