Page 9 - North Star Magazine 2022

COVID has not only affected small things in my life such as family dinners, but many other substantial parts of my life. I have per- sonally lost friends and family to the pandemic, my high school experience, and so much more. Although my dad working hard and putting his life on the line has cost us some of our family time together, it also provided opportunities for us. My mom lost her job during the pandemic which made it harder for my family to provide us with basic needs. My parents have always been so hardworking and willing to put anything on the line for us. My dad sacrificing
his life shows so much about his character and the moral of Staten Island which is filled with hard working people who band together during times of need. Although it may be expected that because of COVID, families had the opportunity to grow closer and share in more activities such as having family dinners, this unfortunately was not the case for me.
According to The family dinner project: How Covid Changed Dinner, Anne Fishel outlines how COVID has been beneficial in some ways to family dinners. She says:
Of parents who responded, 51% reported that there had been more dinners during the pandemic than before. 65% said that they had received more help with meal prep than before the pandemic. 59% laughed more. During the pandemic, 56% of parents reported that their children cooked more. 56% talked more about news and politics. 52% talked more about “who we are as a family”. 50% expressed gratitude more often. 49% felt more connected.
Even though I may not have experienced these things during the pandemic, I have pre COVID. In some ways I wish I was able to enjoy more family dinners during COVID, but at the same time I am grateful I had someone willing to step away from our family norms and focus on what is more important: saving lives and saving our family. Family dinners being eliminated is unfortunate, but at the end of the day, it was for a greater cause and sacrifice that benefited many. Fushel added, “To be honest not much changed for us. My work continued in person and most places we eat at were still open