Leroy Rutherford, 72, watched his daughter Chrissy Rutherford start a branding consultancy in her nursery in Bedford, New York, since she left her Manhattan apartment last April. He may complain about the dirty dishes Mrs. Rutherford leaves in the sink, but he admires her work ethic.
“She gets up at 8am and starts to work. And she's still on her phone or computer at 7 or 8 in the morning, "Rutherford said. "It was nice to see her starting something of her own."
Ms. Schaffler, the mother in Indianapolis, agreed. "You always think that they will never be able to grow up and deal with it alone," she said. “Well, he can and he has. I only listen to him on work calls. Don't listen, just listen. He sounds just like his father now. I could look forward to that and I'm pretty proud. "
Most of all, there was time. Valuable, unexpected time.
During the summer months, Mr. Vien, his wife, and two children stopped working every day and had lunch together on the deck. He watched as his son and daughter, who were four years apart and usually lived on opposite coasts, developed a closer relationship during their stay. His daughter had gone to college in California when she was 17, doing internships there during breaks, and Mr. Vien and his wife felt that time with her had been "stolen". The pandemic gave it back.
Shannon Holtzman, whose adult daughters Carolyn and Larkin both returned to New Orleans for a few months (Carolyn stays there), repeated the sentiment. "I regret the pandemic and wish it had never happened," said Ms. Holtzman. “But it was a gift for us. We will probably never have that time again. "
