Last updated on November 26, 2023
Podcast Episode 0068, Season 04, Episode 32; 17 August 2021
Another rant on pandemic parenting? Absolutely. I’m exhausted. My wife is exhausted. If people don’t come to their senses I’ll be podcasting about the COVID-19 pandemic for another full year.
Somehow I’ve managed to record 68 episodes of The Autistic Me Podcast since launching this project. I’m winding down the fourth season and preparing for a fifth. Thank you to everyone for listening.
Transcript
Welcome to The Autistic Me Podcast. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me and one exhausted homeschooling parent.
This episode marks the end of Season 4. I’m a bit surprised there were more than 30 episodes over the 2020-2021 academic year. That’s the most I’ve managed to record in a single school year. Then again, we were all at home thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Being home meant no time wasted commuting to jobs. It meant we were home on weekends instead of visiting bookstores, zoos, museums, or taking other short trips with our daughters.
We painted walls, assembled new doors for an office, and had some landscaping installed. We are now preparing for more landscaping and some custom bookcases.
When you’re at home day after day, it might as well be the best home you can make it.
Weeks and months started to blur and lose meaning because every day was the same as the previous days.
Susan appreciated the predictable days at home. She doesn’t enjoy travel or crowds. When she’s not working, she’s content to sit with a book or working on crafts. The pandemic was a break from activities she didn’t really enjoy.
The girls did well with the all-year academic routine. Every weekday followed the same schedule, regardless of the school calendar. There was no beginning or end.
I am the one who likes getting out of the house from time to time. I like to get out around trees, lakes, oceans, and other outdoor spaces.
I have taken the girls on drives to some of the local lakes. I take the girls on walks through our community a couple of times a week when the weather is nice. I don’t miss crowded places and can do without long-distance drives. We happen to live a few miles from several state parks, thankfully.
I do feel a little out-of-sorts without preparing for a normal school year.
Since 2004, I have been either a teacher or a graduate student. I completed my master of fine arts degree in 2017 and I taught college courses during the pandemic.
But this year, I’m not teaching. The girls aren’t returning to their elementary school. We don’t know what to expect. We’re simply continuing with what we’ve been doing since March 13, 2020.
Like a year ago, Labor Day once again doesn’t feel like I expected or remembered. I actually have good memories of this time of year, before COVID-19.
Normally, the Labor Day holiday feels a lot more like a New Year’s holiday than January first does.
This Labor Day, it seems people are trying to restore the old, familiar sense of time. I’m not sure COVID-19 will allow that. Still, I miss the familiar things.
When we lived in Minnesota, the days leading to Labor Day were marked by the State Fair, which they call “The Great Minnesota Get-Together.” It’s held next to the University of Minnesota campus in St. Paul. When the fair ends, summer ends.
There will be a state fair this year, August 26 through September 6. I checked. Then, school will start and everything will be… not quite normal.
Sure, Labor Day isn’t the “real” end of summer, but September slowly cools. Susan and I grew up in Central California. Usually, the last triple-digit days are at the end of August and first weeks of September. Now, we live in Central Texas and the same patterns holds. Sure, 80s and 90s aren’t cool, but they signal the coming fall.
Television shows used to start their new seasons in September. I miss that predictable pattern. Now, shows start and end throughout the year, especially on cable and streaming services.
The broadcast season is how I think about this podcast. Starting new seasons of The Autistic Me Podcast around Labor Day was the comfortable thing to do.
I am not a sports fan, but it’s the time of year when football starts and baseball heads towards the post-season. Of course, back-to-school means high school and college football returns, too.
We grow up thinking about time in terms of school years. The winter holidays divide the school year.
I fear that COVID-19 outbreaks will divide this school year. There won’t be anything normal about this school year.
Many schools started early, trying to make up for lost class time. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that many of those schools now have dozens of COVID-19 cases, including both students and staff.
After schools return nationwide, more clusters will be detected. By three or four weeks into the school year, we should have a clear picture of the trends among younger students, too. Remember, children under 12 are unvaccinated.
I understand the risks are low. However, COVID risks are preventable. These aren’t beyond human control.
If we all miss the routine school year, we should have followed basic precautions. It was a serious mistake when we celebrated the end of the pandemic prematurely. Our political leaders haven’t helped.
One side was in mask and vaccine denial, while the other side rushed to declare the worst of the pandemic behind us. Yes, I do blame Pres. Biden and his team for declaring the Fourth of July some sort of celebration of freedom from the virus. That led to some poor choices by those who were trying to take the pandemic seriously.
I’ve done the (rough) math and know that “only” 11 percent of U.S. residents have tested positive for COVID. Also, the official fatality rate among all Americans remains 0.19 percent. The fatalities among positive cases is 1.72 percent. Sure, the risks seems minimal, but that’s potentially misleading.
Not everyone faces the same risks. Averages are misleading. Before vaccination, I was at a higher risk of hospitalization because I’m diabetic, over 50, and have other health complications. A month or two ago, a child or even a 30-year-old in great health was at no significant risk.
Now, 20 percent of new COVID cases in the Southern states are children. Sadly, they are a rising percentage of hospitalizations and intensive care cases, too.
One new variant and the on-campus school year will come to a sudden halt.
I don’t want another year blog posts and podcasts about pandemic parenting, but there’s a good chance that’s what will happen.
If things go as I expect, we will mark two full years of homeschooling, plus a few months from the spring of 2020. The girls have already had two birthdays each at home during the pandemic. I’m expecting there will be at least one more for each.
The poor response to COVID-19 safety protocols isn’t a uniquely American problem. There have been anti-mask and anti-vaccine protests in France, Germany, Australia, and Greece in recent weeks. Humans are the problem, I fear, especially the extroverts who cannot stand to be at home for weeks at time.
My autistic traits have meant the pandemic has been a relief, much like it has been for Susan and the girls. It’s a break from social interactions, sensory overload, and other stressors.
Had more people been able to isolate and follow the guidelines, the blog and podcast might be moving on to whatever’s after pandemic parenting. Oh, well. Here we are.
So, what will keep you listening to The Autistic Me? How will Season 5 manage to be interesting if pandemic life feels like a broken record, a song stuck on repeat, or a 1970s eight-track tape of classic rock? (The eight-track players were particularly annoying when they shifted tracks.)
I’m pleased that Leigh and Anne want to participate again, so I have told them they can choose some topics and lead some episodes.
Letting the girls choose topics and discuss their opinions might reveal how young Neurodiverse students process their environments and experiences. During their first podcast appearance, we discussed how difficult the school settings can be for them. I hope parents and teachers pay attention and learn from what students try to communicate.
The girls want to compare being at school on campus to learning at home. Was the homeschooling less stressful? Was it more challenging academically?
I wonder how other Neurodiverse families navigated the pandemic. Has this been a relief or a time of increased anxiety?
How has the pandemic experience affected the Neurodiverse long-term? Did we recognize some unexpected strengths? We sure didn’t experience the pandemic in a single way. I do know some autistic extroverts. What were their experiences like?
Followers want more voices on the podcast, too. We need more diversity on this podcast and throughout social media.
I have started a list of autistic bloggers, podcasters, authors, and speakers who might want to be on The Autistic Me Podcast. It might be easier to start with those advocates already speaking publicly on critical issues, which is why I want to reach out to other bloggers and podcasters.
Neurodiversity goes beyond autism. Neurological diversity includes ADHD, certainly, and probably other differences like synesthesia and dyslexia. I’ll do my best to include conversations on those differences, too.
There are some good discussions to have, reflecting on the recent past.
As the previous 18 months prove, there’s no telling where the future will lead. I do thank you for listening to The Autistic Me Podcast and reading the blog.
Remember to follow The Autistic Me on Facebook and Twitter. Leave a review on iTunes and recommend The Autistic Me Podcast to help expand our audience. You can also subscribe to the blog for more frequent updates.
I am Christopher Scott Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me and looking forward to the podcast’s fifth season. Let’s hope that 2021-22 is much closer to normal.
Thank you for listening.
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