Shannon Philpott-Sanders

An Open Letter to My Adult Children Coping With COVID-19

You didn’t expect this. You didn’t want this. And, you certainly didn’t think you’d find yourself back living at home after experiencing the freedom of college. As your mom, I have to admit that I love having you here and I love the time we now have together, but I get it. This isn’t the way you expected for life to go at this moment.

On top of the physical adjustments, you’re now immersed in a new way of learning. You’re overwhelmed with the course load, the uncertainty of where you stand academically and the lack of socialization with friends, classmates, fraternity brothers and roommates.

You’re back in a household with rules for the first time in months or years. You’re feeling as if you’ve reverted back to your childhood. You’re feeling trapped and suffocated in our household. You don’t fully understand why we want you to stay home or why we are scared for our safety and your safety. You may even think we are overreacting.

We are not.

In years to come, when you, our family and your loved ones are alive, healthy and safe, you will understand why we stood our ground about social distancing. You will understand the gravity of how many lives were lost to COVID-19 and how many people were unable to host funerals, weddings and celebrate birthdays. You will tell your kids what it was like to survive during a pandemic and my hope is that you will be grateful that you survived.

To Survive. That’s all I want for you, for us and for everyone we love. While these are not easy times for any of us, know that I realize the mental and emotional struggle you are facing. Please understand that my goal is not to make it worse for you, but to make life possible for you.

You are my life – and your safety has always been my responsibility. Even though you are adults and you are finding yourselves, you will always be my responsibility. Right now, my responsibility is not to hinder your well-being, but to make sure you have the opportunity to continue finding yourselves in the future.

This is not punishment. This is not a quest to hinder your freedom. This is my way of making sure you are here and healthy for years to come. This is also my way of showing you that I will always be here for you – whether you like it or not.

– Shannon Philpott-Sanders
April 2020

April 11, 2020 - Posted by sphilpott | Sample Work