Your children are watching you.
Watching as you fretfully throw toilet paper, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes and more into your shopping cart. They watch as you push past another shopper, determined to be the first one through the checkout line. "Are we going to be okay, mama?" they ask on the car ride home. "Of course, sweetheart," you assure them. "There's nothing to worry about." Your children are watching you. Watching as you quickly unload case after case of bottled water from the back of your car. It's more water than they probably drink in a month. They watch as you stack up the boxes of pasta and bags of rice, shoving them into the tightest crevice of your already overloaded pantry. "Are we going to be okay, mama?" "Of course, sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about." Your children are watching you. Watching as you rage clean your way through your house. Wiping down every surface, spraying every toy, light switch, and door handle. They watch as you rigorously wash your hands—it's the fourth time this hour! "Are we going to be okay, mama?" "Of course, sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about."
***
In the midst of the panic, the fear, and the frustration, it's easy to get caught up in our biological drive as mothers to keep our children safe.
So, yes, prepare your family. Wash your hands. Clean your house and say your prayers. Hold your children tight and promise them that everything will be okay (it will!).
But never forget that in all the chaos your actions speak just as loudly as your words.
Your children are watching you.