Lockdowns are changing the way I parent, and it’s probably a good thing because the days are longer but also calmer.

Gone is my Marie Kondo zest for policing the amount of clutter allowed into our apartment, that energy is now channelled into predicting lockdowns and panic buying art and education supplies to keep my daughter busy.

Everyone panic buys something — toilet paper, seedlings for the garden, delicious treats to comfort eat. (It’s a little embarrassing because another box of art kits and glitter is scheduled to be delivered as I write this.)

In Melbourne, we’ve spent longer than anywhere else in Australia in lockdown. We’ve learnt a few things along the way.

1. Celebrate everything

Find something to celebrate.

Birthdays become mini-festivals. This year Valentine’s Day was transformed into a weekend carnival about the people we love by making cards and watching or reading stories about “true love’s kiss”.

We’ve had black paper bats and cotton wool taped to our windows for Halloween and more recently hung all our winter-themed Christmas decorations to mark the first day of winter.

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