I Can’t Answer My Daughter’s Questions about COVID-19

In this personal reflection on parenting during the pandemic, Worcester, MA, writer Kevin Koczwara shares the experience of fostering his two-year old son’s and especially his four-year-old daughter’s sense of curiosity in the world while struggling with the confusion and uncertainty of the unfolding pandemic himself. When the world widens and demands exploration, his daughter’s questions in the second month of quarantine run up against his own lack of knowledge, as he describes his feelings of helplessness, stating, “People are dying. Lots of them. Too many to seem real. It feels like a dream. It feels hopeless […]. No one seems to understand. How can I make a four-year-old understand?” (Koczwara). He struggles to respond to queries on the end of the pandemic, why social distancing is necessary, or her confusion over why she can no longer interact with a beloved neighbor, a self-confessed Trump supporter who endorses Trump’s disregard for safety measures. Koczwara’s daughter’s curiosity aligns with his own skepticism, ultimately resulting in acceptance of his confusion.