2020 04 18
作者 Article by: Joanne Loo
From Watching the Musical “Mary Poppins” to Working from Home During the Pandemic
My children’s school musical this year is Mary Poppins, which talked about how a mystical nanny helped a family of four love and understand one another again. My older son played the part of the father, who worked as a banker, while my younger son was cast as the mischievous son. They performed with their schoolmates in mid-February. At the beginning of the story, the father was very serious. He focussed mainly on his work and refused to find time to play with his children. As the story went on, he realized that being together with his family was actually the most important thing. My husband and I definitely enjoyed our children’s performance, but we also wondered: Have we been spending enough time with the kids? Aside from helping them with schoolwork when necessary, making sure they practised playing their music instruments, and driving them around, have we listened to their thoughts and understood them? Perhaps a little bit. Why haven’t we spent more time playing with them? Busy! Yes, that’s true—but we certainly cannot use that as an excuse, can we? Both of us really struggled with the thought.
A few weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic situation worsened. The children had to stay home and do their studies online, and I worked from home. I was so stressed out, but realized later that God was giving me a learning opportunity.
In families with children, “working from home” is a concept that looks great on paper but is quite tricky in practice. My older son has his own laptop, and he can handle 95% of his schoolwork independently. He even helps his classmates online. My younger son can handle “short term homework”—those that are only 1-2 pages long and can be submitted on the same day. For science, he has to do little experiments. While those are fun for him, I have to look around for materials and teach him to think. For history and geography, he has to do research projects, but he has not mastered the art of selecting important points from lengthy online articles. As I was teaching him one day, my brain was half thinking about the COVID-19 educational leaflet I wanted to make for the patients at my workplace. And I still had to remember to cook lunch and dinner. I also had to send them out to play when the weather was nice in the afternoon so that I could do my work. Such a busy time! Can I really not take care of the kids and work at the same time?
While certain things maybe impossible for humans, “for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). After a few days, the two kids and I began to get used to the new daily routine, and I learned how to keep my sanity.
1. Accept the reality: The fact that the kids need me while I work is no longer “unexpected”. Now I that I am mentally ready for it, I can set expectations that are a bit more realistic. If I cannot finish my work, I wait until the two of them can play together or even after they go to bed before I resume.
2. Let the children participate in my work: One day, as I was trying to develop some educational materials about the pandemic for patients, my younger son was looking for something to do. Suddenly, my light bulb went on: Didn’t he like to draw? I invited him to help me draw a cartoon virus, which I then inserted into my leaflet as an illustration. My co-workers praised him for drawing such a cute cartoon. By inviting him to help, I saved some energy, and he got to use his talent to serve the society. Later I discovered that Bishop Jenny Andison also invited one of her daughters to read the scripture when she delivered her sermon via a video online.
3. Let the children understand the reality: I told my children: When they are at school during the day, I don’t have to worry about their school work and safety, and I don’t have to prepare lunch for them in the middle of my work day. Even though they are staying at home nowadays, my work must still be done. Once the children understood, they co-operated better. When I ask them to help with cleanups and folding laundry, they no longer decline. When I bring a big load of purchases home from the supermarket, they take the initiative to haul and sort, which is tremendously helpful. On a recent day, when my husband could come home early, he volunteered to cook dinner so that I could do a bit more work during that time. I am so grateful.
4. Let’s be happy together: Since we are all stuck at home together, let’s be happy and enjoy some quality time together. In the past few weeks, we have played ping-pong in the basement, played soccer in the backyard, painted with water colours, played chess and board games, watched musicals and sang the songs from them, and we even imitated the menu from a few quick service restaurants. My younger son and I let our imagination run wild on the drawing board, creating our dream cars and dream bunkers. One day, after we ordered pizza, we discovered that the box could morph into a cardboard basketball game set. The kids were so happy. The old me would not have allowed the kids to play with the pizza box because of the crumbs. Nevertheless, once I told myself that the crumbs could be cleaned out, I was determined to let the kids be kids. I hope that when the pandemic is over, the kids won’t just remember that Mommy and Daddy were “so busy”, but they will also remember that we had fun and we got creative together.
During the pandemic situation, my kids and I have been staying home unwillingly. God gave me yet another lesson on faith and patience: Not only did He give me the ability and the time to take care the kids and do my work, He even let the four of us enjoyed quality family time together. We must always remember while certain things maybe impossible for humans, “for God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
I would like to share a song that my husband and I really love: God Will Make a Way.
Copyright of the text and graphics © Joanne Loo, 2020
從看音樂劇Mary Poppins到在疫境中留在家裏工作 – Joanne Loo
孩子們這學年的音樂劇是Mary Poppins，主要講述一個神奇的褓母怎樣幫一家四口再次相親相愛，互相體諒。我的大兒子和小兒子分別飾演當銀行家的父親和反斗的兒子，二月中與同學們演出。在劇初，父親不苟言笑，很注重工作，不願意騰出時間與孩子玩耍，到後來醒覺到與家人一起才是最重要的。我的先生和我固然很欣賞孩子們的演出，但同時亦開始反省：我們有騰出時間與孩子相處嗎？除了在他們有需要時指導功課，著他們練樂器，接送他們，我們有聆聽他們的心聲、了解他們嗎？也算是有一點點的。為什麽不多花時間與孩子玩？忙 ！是的，但總不能用“忙”來做藉口吧？我們的内心很大爭扎。
數星期後，COVID-19疫情轉差，孩子們留在家裏在網上學習，我留在家裏工作。我覺得很大壓力，但後來才發現這是神給我的一個學習機會。
在有孩子的家庭,“留在家裏工作”是一個在字面上好看而實行起來卻頗考技巧的概念。大 兒子有手提電腦,九成半能自理老師在網上派的功課,更在網上幫同學們。小兒子能自己 料理“短期功課”,即一兩頁長,做好當天就交給老師那種。科學要做小實驗,他當然覺得 好玩,但我要幫他找材料,教他思考。歷史地理兩科要做研究項目,而他還未懂怎樣從網 上資料中選出要點。我一邊教他,腦子裏半記掛著我想製作給病人的疫症資料。還要記著 到時到後要煮午餐和晚餐,天氣好的下午催他們到後院玩,好讓我做我的工作。好忙啊! 難道真的不可能兼顧孩子和工作嗎?
人所不能的，“在神凡事都能” （馬太福音19：26）。 過了幾天，兩個孩子和我開始習慣新的日程，我也慢慢學到怎樣不搞垮自己：
1.接受現實：孩子們在我工作時需要我—這不再是“意料之外”的事。現在有心理準備，訂立實際一點的期望。做不完工作就等兩個孩子能一起玩時我才做，必要時等他們睡覺了才做。
2. 讓孩子參與我的工作：我要製作一份給病人的疫症資料，但小兒子在找事做，打發時間。我靈機一觸，他不是喜歡畫畫嗎？我請他在電腦上幫我畫個卡通病毒，放進我的疫症資料中做插圖，我的同事都讚他的卡通有趣。這樣，我省點精力，同時讓他有機會用他的恩賜為社會服務。後來我發現，珍妮主教在她的網上講道中也有請她的女兒讀經。
3. 讓孩子們理解現實：我告訴孩子們：平常他們白天在學校裏，我不用擔心他們的學業和安全，也不用在我的工作時間中弄午餐給他們。現在雖然他們留在家裏，但我的工作還是要做的。孩子們明白了後很生性，在我著他們幫忙清理和叠衣服時不再推搪。我在超級市場買大堆東西回家後，他們也幫手搬動和分類，幫輕了不少。最近我先生在可以早回家的一天也主動煮晚餐，讓我可以用那段時間做點工作，真是很感恩。
4. 齊齊開心：既然大家都要留在家裏，就一起開開心心，來點親子時間吧。這幾個星期， 我們打乒乓球，踢足球、畫水彩畫、下棋、看音樂劇和唱音樂劇的歌、還模仿製作過幾家快餐廳的食物。小兒子和我甚至在畫板上發揮想象力，畫了我們夢中的車子和地庫。有一天，叫了pizza 後，發現盒子可以演變成模擬籃球場，孩子們很高興。以前的我就會因爲pizza 盒有碎屑而不讓孩子玩，但我想想：碎屑是可以清理的，就讓孩子活得像孩子吧！ 我希望孩子在疫情過後不單是記得爸爸媽媽“很忙”，也記得一家人一起玩和創作的經歷。
在疫境中，我和孩子們不自願地留在家裏。神讓我再次上了信心和耐性的一課：他不但給我能力和時間照顧孩子和做好工作，更讓我們一家四口竟然有時間享受天倫樂。我們要常常記住：在人所不能的，“在神凡事都能” （馬太福音19：26）。
想和大家分享一首我先生和我都很喜歡的歌， 叫God Will Make a Way（跟隨我恩主）。
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rSWXf2Y4z0
中文歌詞：
http://www.christianstudy.com/data/hymns/text/revival_hymns011.html
圖文版權： © Joanne Loo 2020