Maskless In The City

Where does the time go? It feels like it was yesterday I was sitting at my dining table planning out March Break with the girls. Figuring out where we were going to go, which hotels to stay at and where to get the best lattes. Now, it’s already Thursday and the kids are back in the swing of things but with something new...MASKLESS.

I must say this was quite a weird moment for us and having the "mask talk" with your kids was something even weirder. Explaining to them that everyone has a choice, and we need to respect it was odd to me. I told my girls that even if their mind changes day by day, or hour by hour, it’s fine too. After all, we’ve spent the last two years behind a mask so if they feel more comfortable with them on, then that would be completely understandable. I can say even for myself, working with a mask on was incredibly challenging because I live for facial expressions, not to mention talking over a blow dryer was one of the most frustrating things. I can only imagine how it feels to start at a brand new school not knowing a single kid’s face because they’ve been behind masks or how often they switched from being in-class to online. It really blows my mind with how adaptable kids are, they’ve learned to just roll with it. And now to be at the "final '' phase where they can remove the mask and feel semi ''normal" is quite a moment, even for me as well. I’m so proud of them for how long they went through all of this and came out ok.

On Monday’s podcast episode, I was discussing the mixed emotions of removing the mask. Obviously being the person that I am, the physical mask wasn't the only focus, but the mask that some of us may have been hiding behind in our lives. There are many things that we’re not facing head-on because it feels easier or "safer" to just cover them up or hide behind.

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P.S. Montréal was a blast and what I've learned is that the KISS method is great! (Keep It Simple Stupid). I was going to over plan every single day of the trip with activities, places to eat, etc. and I thought, Nah just go and wing it, and to be honest, it was great! The highlight of the trip was the kids using the hotel amenities (aka the pool and calling the concierge to make their bed). It made me think I can just totally book a hotel in Toronto and have just as good of a time! Minus the 10+ hours in the car with two sisters literally repeating "Mom, mom, mom". I think personally the highlight for them was stumbling across the Barbie Expo.