Okay, I need a minute, y’all. The Covid kids, a.k.a. the tiny humans we nervously welcomed in 2020 amid endless hand sanitizer, Zoom check-ins, and panic about literally everything, are officially starting kindergarten this year. And honestly? I am shook.
As a millennial, I thought I’d seen it all. I survived dial-up internet, Y2K panic, 9/11, a recession, Columbine and the introduction of mass shootings, the rise of social media and its drama, and even watched the country rise up against social injustices we began seeing almost daily. But bringing a kid into the world during a global pandemic? That tops the list. The anxiety, the unknowns, the masks, the isolation. 2020 didn’t exactly roll out a red carpet for us parents.
And yet…here we are.
Those tiny, squishy newborns who were once so tiny and made every sneeze feel catastrophic, are now the new kids on the (elementary) block. These kiddos have grown so quickly, they’re curious, resilient, and are already testing every limit imaginable. Some are calling this generation the “Coronials,” and honestly? It fits. They started life in a world that demanded patience, creativity, and adaptability before they could even spell their own names.
They are truly in a league of their own, and I have a feeling these kids are going to do big things. They’ve seen their parents adapt, persevere, and navigate life during one of the world’s darkest times. Their mere existence has built their character.
I can’t wait to see all of them, especially my big boy, conquer kindergarten, make friends, learn new skills, and take on the adventures that come with this next chapter. And as he does, I’ll be the loudest one in the crowd cheering my heart out. Only now? No mask. No hand sanitizer. No crippling fear. Just me, wildly waving and probably crying because these happy milestones are ones I truly was terrified we might not get to experience.
But we made it out of the trenches to get here, and I am so excited about it! So here’s to the parents who survived pandemic parenting with minimal sanity intact, and to the kids who made it through those first few years of uncertainty and came out curious, clever, and unreasonably cute. You are the class of 2038, the Coronials, and you’ve already set the bar ridiculously high.
