In COVID quarantine, these Charlotte parents reconnected with their children
Khalif Rhodes, attorney and owner of The Rhodes Firm, has been navigating COVID-19 with his wife, Courtney, a recruiter for Lowes, their four children (12-year-old seventh-grader Khalif, 9-year-old fourth-grader Camille, 7-year-old second-grader Cimone, 5-year-old kindergartener Corinne) and a 10-month-old puppy, Kross. For Rhodes, quarantine with a large family is easier said than done.
Rhodes’ wife has transitioned into fully remote work and he’s been 95% remote since March, as the majority of his practice is dedicated to personal injury and can be completed outside of the office.
“The impact on the judicial system has been enormous. I have been able to pivot during this time. It has allowed me the opportunity to reassess the priorities of my firm and my family. However, I miss the opportunity to meet with new clients face-to-face in the office.”
Balancing virtual learning with owning a successful law firm
Last spring, before CMS made the decision to move to virtual learning, Rhodes and his wife had already made the decision to make remote schoolwork an option.
“We have several family members that have become sick from COVID, and we did not want to take the chance to expose our children to that unneeded risk,” Rhodes said.
All four Rhodes children are enrolled in CMS for the upcoming school year. The Rhodes parents have a few concerns, the foremost being structuring a school day to fit into their process.
“We have realized that this year, the teaching will now fall on us, the parents. The realization is both amazing and terrifying at the same time,” Rhodes said.
The hardest decision the Rhodes family had to make was where to set up a mini classroom. Rhodes’ mother-in-law and sister are both teachers, so he and his wife consulted with them to find ways to turn their home into a classroom that will encourage their children to want to engage in the program.
“All things considered, I believe that last year’s virtual experience had several learning lessons that I hope CMS took as a teaching moment. Specifically, consistency. Our oldest son did not have morning meetings with his homeroom. However, our daughters did. I think that this new process of synchronous and asynchronous learning will be a welcomed addition,” Rhodes said.
As schools engage in virtual learning, Rhodes said socialization is a huge concern.
“Our children are relatively young. We want them to have the opportunity to grow socially,” Rhodes said. “Last year, my two oldest daughters missed their father-daughter dance. This year is my youngest daughter’s first year of ‘big girl’ school. She has been in preschool for three years. She was really excited to get to go to school with her sisters. However, I don’t think this is what she envisioned.”
How COVID inspired reconnection
Although COVID changed family lives across the country, Rhodes said his family life has adjusted for the better.
“The first few weeks were amazing. However, after we played all the board games and exposed them to every ’80s and ‘90s movie that we could, we quickly realized something. We realized that we did not know our kids. It was a hard pill to swallow,” Rhodes said.
Just like most families, prior to COVID, Rhodes and his wife would take their children to school and their extracurricular activities, have them rush to eat dinner, finish homework and then go to bed.
“COVID forced us to fill up that time that we were rushing all around to slow down and look around. I realized that my youngest daughter could be a part-time comedian. She is 5. I realized that our son has a secret infatuation with terrible movies. He actively searches IMDB for bad movies,” Rhodes said.
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While their family vacation to Tybee Island, Georgia, was canceled this summer, Rhodes has tried to keep the family busy by sticking to a schedule, which includes specific time dedicated to video games and time dedicated to going outside.
Things are different now, but Rhodes is staying positive.
“Although the world has completely changed, we are thankful for the time to stop and smell the roses. We are a glass-half-full family,” Rhodes said. “Instead of traditional school shopping, the kids are still finding joy in reinventing their learning space. They are also excited to spend the time with us throughout the day. I’m nervous about the new beginnings of life after COVID, but hopeful that I don’t lose sight of what’s important — family.”
CharlotteFive talked to families in Charlotte-area schools navigating the pandemic to understand how the virus has changed their school decisions, their routines and their households. This article is part of that series.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 11:29 AM.
