Just when we thought that COVID was going to let us be free, another wave hit and it has all of us reevaluating what our new normal is going to look like since the kids will be home while many parents are working. For some of us *ahem* me *ahem* this is a little inconvenience–I love my kids but found our relationship flourished the more they were out of my house. And for others, it’s just barely feasible to think about trying to work while having kids home. Which is why pandemic pods were introduced on to the scene.
Pandemic pods? What’s that!?
Pandemic Pods In A Nutshell
It’s basically the nifty new name for what homeschoolers called a co-op. But it does have some additional meaning to it. Because of the pandemic and inefficiency of contact tracing (because people don’t know how to mask up when they aren’t at the house), people are wanting to create “safe” ways to help each other. The pandemic pods are essentially a couple of families that commit to only being around each other, practicing agreed upon safety protocols and will not be reckless. In return, families get to interact with others outside of the ones they live with.
Now, many of us are celebrating this. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids but I almost cried when I saw my girl MJ take a walk at the same time as me. I swear I was more giddy than a kid in a candy shop! But there are some that are using this as just another way to exclude others.
The {Potential} Problem With Pandemic Pods
Humans are flawed–we know this. So that means most things we do are going to come with these flaws, including the way these pandemic pods are organized. Now let me go on record saying that I haven’t personally bore witness to discrimination within the pod formations. One of my Spelman Sisters who lives by me said that she was interested in forming a pod in our area. A bunch of us said we were interested and boom. Pod formed.
But from the tea in the mommy groups, this is not what’s happening in all areas. They’re intentionally excluding others based on skin color *gasp*, socioeconomic status *oh my*, and more. But we knew this was going to happen. I mean, we’ve only been in integrated schools for under 50 years.
Not only is discrimination an issue, but pods are normally formed with friends. I understand this… I don’t trust everyone with my kids nor do I like everyone else’s children so making sure your pod is filled with trustworthy peeps is a must. But what if you just moved to the city you’re in and don’t have friends? Or what if your friends don’t have children? This pandemic pod formation can become worse than waiting to be chosen to play on a team for kickball.
Using Pandemic Pods For What They Are
Just because the pandemic pods come with some challenges doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be used. This is an excellent opportunity to really develop a solid foundation for a dope village and this is something that we all need. The raising of our children (and ourselves) is not supposed to be done in a silo. We need others in order to thrive during these times as oppose to just survive.
Pandemic pods are a great way to do just that. Just make sure that you have people you trust in them because we’re talking about a global health crisis in addition to the mental and emotional well-being of our future.
Need help getting into a pandemic pod? Shoot me an email to hello@thecrunchymommy.com and I’ll see if I can help!
