In a public address dated 10th May 2020, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that the existing Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) will be extended until the 9th June 2020. Any changes to regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the CMCO will be periodically announced.
This raised a lot of mixed feeling among parents, with a majority expressing how hard it’s been for working parents with schooling children.
Mummy Jee Ann’s status really got parents’ attention with hundreds of likes and comments in a private Facebook group for mums.
“I’m lucky that I’m still working from home, but with my husband back in the office.. it doesn’t help at all,” she says and continues:
I have daily meetings (sometimes back to back), I need to keep a watch that my 7yo daughter attends and actually pays attention during her online lessons..
Then what about my 3yo son (pre-school is still closed)?? 30mins of online learning which you need to literally sit with him. What if I’m not available? The only way to keep him quiet is screen time.. “Bad mother, give him some worksheets/activities to do”. You try and tell me if it works for you!
Other mummies also expressed their frustration with many having multiple kids at home with no helper, fasting, breastfeeding, working and having to do cleaning too.
Another mummy in the post’s comment section in response to screen time mentioned:
MCO is about surviving, not about being the perfect parent!”
For Mummy Farah Manan, her status really opened some eyes to other parents that do not have more than 1 schooling child.
For families with more than 1 schooling child- it’s not easy. Many families might not have the access to so many gadgets to facilitate multiple online classes that happen at the same time.
“In addition, if you’re a working mother and need to join a Zoom meeting, who do you ‘sacrifice’ in this situation?” she says.
A lot of parents are now in a dilemma.
With more and more parents being called back to the office, schools still unopened and not all childcare centres open for service- who’s going to take care of their children and facilitate online classes when both parents are to report to the office?
To top it off, not everyone has an in-house helper and sending the kids to their parents house may not be the best option due to safety and health concerns- What now?
With the recent news on 17 students per class allowed when school reopens and that being most likely only Form Five and Form Six students who are taking their SPM and STMP examinations, many parents are still confused and uncertain about what to do and how to handle things.
Hopefully some answers will come up soon. Until then, let’s support and be kind to one another, and try to make the best out of the current situation for the sake of our children and family.
