A mother from Melbourne has penned an open letter about the realities of being a parent during the coronavirus pandemic – and her honest words have resonated with many others.
Michelle Daga, a nutritionist and childbirth educator, explains that her baby son Jahlee has missed out on so many ‘normal’ moments that a little one would typically experience.
She lives with her partner Jahmin in an apartment without a garden and the three of them are now facing some of the tightest restrictions Australia has ever seen.
Currently, Melbourne is under lockdown, which is set to go on until Sunday 13 September – at least. Residents are only allowed to travel 5km from their house for one hour a day and there is a curfew between 8pm and 5am.
Baby Jahlee celebrated his first birthday this week, but Michelle wrote that he has ‘spent half of his life in lockdown’.
She said: ‘Isolated at home with mum and dad, for six months now and counting.
‘He has never played with another child, patted a dog, or had a chance to dig in the dirt.
‘He is yet to meet most of his family, visit a shopping centre, or spend a day in the playground.’
Michelle goes onto say that while she knows her situation is not ‘unique’, and that there are plenty of others going through the same as her, it’s still very difficult.
She said: ‘The only other faces Jahlee sees are hidden behind masks.
‘And he has no idea food grows on trees or sprouts from the earth, just that it arrives in bags and boxes, left by a man in a mask at the front door.
‘He was a baby when lockdown began, not even able to crawl. Now, he’s a walking, talking toddler, with a whole lot of personality and a toothy smile.’
The couple celebrated their son’s first birthday on Zoom, with 20 people in their extended family.
In the letter, Michelle adds that while Jahlee is a ‘happy, healthy and vibrant’ boy, she has a sense that he knows something isn’t right.
She continued: ‘That was confirmed just last week, when he hurriedly crawled across the floor, pointing to the window, squealing, laughing, shrieking with delight.
‘I turned to see two pigeons, perched high on the roof of the building next door.
‘A look on his face of pure joy, and then I realised, these are the first birds my one-year-old has ever seen.’
She added that Jahlee sat for a while watching the birds who were ‘so peaceful, so free’ before they flew away and left ‘us alone again, in these four walls’.
Michelle finished her letter with: ‘There is nothing normal about living half your life in quarantine.
‘There is nothing normal about parenting in a pandemic. And although I’m well aware things could be worse, this is far from easy.
‘Millions of others are sharing this strange new reality with us every day. And I’m here to remind you, you’re not alone.
‘Here’s hoping we can all spread our wings, and teach our young ones to fly very soon. Happy birthday, my baby.’
The mum’s emotional words have hit home with a lot of parents on Facebook, with more than 1,000 people reacting to the post.
One person replied: ‘In Melbourne too with 3.5 years old, 18 months old and baby born in stage 4 last week… I feel you. This is madness,’
While another added: ‘My youngest is clingy and won’t go to anyone… why would he when he spent 10 weeks at home with just me.’
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