Find
Your Light
Or Why I Decided
to Homeschool
My Kindergartner
This Fall
BY APRIL FLORES
34 Washington FAMILY JULY 2020
O n Tuesday, March 11, I picked
up my son, Danny, from pre-
school. Without discussing it
with my wife, Jen, I decided he would not
be returning due to the possible exposure
to COVID-19.

Hours later, I emailed his teachers to
inform them of my decision, even mention-
ing possible withdrawal for the remainder of
the school year. I also told one of his teachers
that I could not volunteer the following day
for the same reason. The next day I let close
family friends know that I could not continue
watching their kids as I’d been doing the past
two years. I was scheduled to watch them for
a good portion of the remainder of the week
since one parent was out of town and the
other was working.

When Jen returned home from work, I
let her know about all of my decisions. They
weren’t easy ones, and I knew the impact
and inconvenience they’d have on several
people that I love. I felt selfish and like I had
suddenly and rashly put my foot down.

Jen, however, supported me. I wasn’t sure
how long Danny would be out of school or
how long it would be before I could help
watch my friends’ kids again. All I knew
was that I wanted to keep our family safe,
and that’s still my goal, especially since
Jen’s mom and I are considered high-risk
individuals. I was born with a congenital heart
disease, ventricular septal defect, and Jen’s
mom is in her upper 70s. We’ve lived with
her for almost two years, so 40 percent of
our household is high risk. Jen knows first-
hand what can happen if her mother or I
contract COVID-19. She was an adult ICU
nurse at Johns Hopkins for 12 years and is
now a nurse manager.

As COVID-19 cases increased, so did Jen’s
workload. Not only does she report to the
hospital almost daily, but she also does all
of our grocery shopping and errands now,
too. This is a significant change in our home
since I’m a stay-at-home parent. I have not
been in any other building besides our home
since March 12, and no one has entered our
home since then either.

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