Robin Bailey: How my sons saved me during isolation

They’ve been through so much together but Robin Bailey shares an emotional insight into how her sons have helped her more than she ever thought they could during isolation.

Isolation has been a really interesting time for me, both heartwarming and heartbreaking. My day-to-day life hasn’t changed that much as our 97.3 FM Breakfast Team is still going into the studio to work every morning. My two eldest sons are also still working. They are landscape gardening labourers for a family company called Brooke’s Blooms who still have enough work for them, which is great. My youngest is in Year 10 at school and is coping reasonably well with home schooling.

It’s heartbreaking as I am still desperately grieving the death of my husband Sean just eight short months ago. Grief in isolation is magnified by intense loneliness and how much I pine for him. The irony is, if he were alive, we’d love this time to just be in our wonderful newlywed love bubble, but it’s not how things worked out. I also know dealing with his terminal cancer through this time would have been extremely difficult (so I guess that’s something, right?)

Robin Bailey with her three boys, Lewin 17, Piper 15 and Fin 19. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Why it’s heartwarming is that my three sons are home a lot more and are much more aware of how hard I’m struggling so they have stepped up in ways that would not have happened if not for COVID-19. I sat them down when we first went into lockdown and said that they needed to become more like flatmates than kids and start to take responsibility for themselves and the household, and they have. My 15-year-old cooks at least three nights a week (he loves it and is very good). My 18-year-old has a sixth sense when I’m at my lowest and never fails to check in when I need it most and my 20-year-old is forever practical and gets the other two to sort their washing or clean up the kitchen. This last weekend all three of them planted some lovely plants for me just because it would make me smile. Don’t get me wrong, my kids aren’t saints but as a family, we have been through a lot, and in our world, the small stuff isn’t worth getting worked up over so if mum needs a hand they do it.

Robin Bailey with her songs at home during isolation

I miss my friends and my family the most. Still, Zoom meetings have become a regular Sunday night event, and we have not only included my mum and sister (and her family in Sydney) but my half-sister in the UK and my cousin in Melbourne, and that would never have happened outside of this experience. Also, my girlfriends have been my liferaft, and they have found ways to engage, with Zoom nights, phone calls and exercise events that are lovely.

All in all, I’m glad for this time. A chance to take a breath and remember that life is short and what’s important are people and love and even in isolation, we’ve found a way to connect.

Plus, I spend a lot of time alone reminiscing on what was the most extraordinary four years of my life with Sean. I’m making lots of plans for the future and working on new projects like the new podcast I’m doing with our newsreader Monique Dews, Keeping Up With Corona, so (I have) lots to be grateful for. If I had to be anywhere in the world doing this, I’m so glad I’m here with our glorious weather and relaxed and respectful approach to life. I hope I remember these lessons always.