Style: May 20, 2020

10 STYLE | feature
NOT A BAD
PLACE TO BE
Eleven-year-old Mathilda Smulders
discovered a few pros and cons to being
stuck at home all day, every day, with
your family.
Ida spent lockdown with her father Trevor Cullen and
her two-year-old Enzo.
seeing him with Enzo made me remember how our
relationship was when we were children. You see your
parents being a parent in a way, if that make sense. But
he also got to know his grandson on so many different
levels, including the early morning wake-up call and the
toddler tantrums [laughing].
We know Dad’s neighbours quite well, so we waved
out to them and talked over the fence. People were
saying, ‘How are you doing? How are you finding it?’
When they asked that question, they were asking in
a really genuine way, and I think that was really nice.
When we went out for walks, everyone waved at each
other and said hello. Even though we were physically
distancing, we are still trying to be socially connected.
When the call came for 70-year-olds to stay at
home, I started to think about what we were going
to do with this two-year-old at home! Dad had some
flour from 2017 and I made some play dough with it.
Enzo ate some. I thought he would be quite disgusted
by it, but unfortunately, he’s done it a few times now.
We had some chalk so drew roads on the ground
for him to run his trucks on. Enzo started to talk a lot;
he’s quite chatty. He would bring up the names of his
friends randomly when he played. His friends Ava and
Henry were driving his trucks with him the other day;
that was really sweet. I did feel sad he couldn’t do the
things he normally does, like go to the playground,
but I’m lucky he is at an age when I don’t have to fully
explain why, so he adapted quite well.
When he is older and facing challenging things, I will
tell him about this time. I will say to him, ‘Though you
can’t remember it, we did this, and it was pretty scary
for a lot of people, but we came out okay. So, with
whatever you do in life, when you are faced with times
that are quite stressful and hard, it is going to be okay.
Because it is just a moment in time.’
Before lockdown, life was busy. I’d go to school at 8am and
have activities after school. I play hockey, netball, swimming
and tennis, as well as sing and learn the guitar. At the weekend,
I would have sports, see my friends, go on outings with my
family and have sleepovers. Then came lockdown.
My bubble was quite big. There was my mum, dad, brother,
sister, my grandparents and me. It was nice being to have a lot
of people in it, though sometimes it was annoying because we
all get on each other’s nerves. We’re lucky we have a lot of
space.
I quite liked online learning. It was easy for me because I
could spend more time on the work I needed more time to
do and then go through the other work quickly. My school [St
Margaret’s] was very organised – it was almost as if we were
still there. We even had to go to chapel and had a reverse
mufti day, which was fun.
I can’t wait to be able to go out to the
movies or trampoline park, and start my
sports again, but I think it is important
we are doing what we are doing.
I liked being at home. I liked sleeping in and having more
free time, and not having to worry about eating my lunch for
morning tea, because I had activities. But I missed my friends.
My friends felt a bit bored in quarantine. We used FaceTime
and messaged each other every day, plus, mum set me up with
a pen pal in America, one of her friend’s daughters.
If I was talking to someone about to go into lockdown, I’d
tell them that they should make a plan to do something fun
every day, get outside every day, and not spend too much
time on your device.
I baked with my mum more as she was working less –
and it was really fun. I enjoyed going on walks, even though
sometimes my parents had to make us go.
I can’t wait to be able to go out to the movies or trampoline
park, and start my sports again, but I think it is important we
are doing what we are doing. Otherwise the virus could get
really bad and we could get it. It is safer to just be with your
family and isolate.
My biggest lesson? I now know it is actually okay to live in
your bubble. I’ve learnt to help around the house more and
that it’s not that bad to be at home all day.