Vbunton

This virus.

I'm a stay at home mom of four kids under seven. My oldest daughter is school aged, so normally it's me and the little three. I cannot stress this enough three kids and four kids are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. Normally I take my six year old to her bus stop at 6:45 am, then I get back home in time to tell my husband goodbye, then it's my time for awhile. That is not happening anymore. That 30 minutes of peace I took for granted in the morning is a thing of the distant past. Let me just say I respect the hell out of working moms, even more so now. They deserve all of our praise. Especially the ones who are currently trying to balance homeschool, work, dinner, groceries, and all of the other countless things that moms are tasked with. I find myself with so many things to do now, I have always held a tight schedule for my kids, strict bedtime, showers at the same time, a scheduled time for everything. But here's the thing, none of that works now. I had a schedule down to five minute increments that has been completely butchered, and that's okay. We've been set for so long in making sure we fit into social norms, for me it was the pressure of being a young, broke, mother of four who somehow wound up in an affluent neighborhood. My partner and I have had to work harder than I can explain to try and make sure our daughter fits in. I can't tell you the amount of time I put into trying to impress the other moms. I took on roles I didn't have time for, bought birthday gifts I didn't have money for, all so they would accept my daughter. Now here I am, living in a brand new world. Wondering how on earth my biggest concern two months ago was what the pto moms thought about me. Thankfully I'm finally realizing that I don't give a damn. At the end of the day we're all moms out here facing a new struggle. None of us have ever experienced anything like this, and very few of us are prepared for it. Right now is a time for us to come together from afar, right now is not the time to shame parents who let their kids eat sugar, or the ones who can't just drop everything and order their kid a bounce house or a trampoline; now is the time when you and I are equal. You and I have the same risk and most importantly the same responsibility to social distance and stay at home. I am fortunate in having a yard so my kids can run around still. But we have not left our house in almost three weeks. My husband is unfortunately still working, so he has fully taken the responsibility of groceries (although I'm pretty sure based on how he shops that he starved before me.) I have realized how serious this is, most of my community has as well. However with all of that said and done my husband is still out there doing his job to support our family, and we live in South Carolina, a state that refuses to lock down. Governor McMaster, I plead to you as a mother of four children (6yr, 4yr, 2yr, 2mths) whom I want to know and enjoy childhood the way that I did, please for their sake issue a stay-at-home order. We cannot afford to wait, we cannot trust the public to do this ourselves. We have to stop the spread, so that one day my kids can again go to a birthday party, return to see their teachers and friends at school, or just enjoy the wind in their hair on the swings. Our children deserve better than this Mr. McMaster, think about them.