The pandemic has been a time of stress and upheaval for most families, but some have found a way to transform that chaos into a fresh start. While many of the changes parents have been making are temporary, like working from home and scheduling online playdates, living in lockdown is driving some parents to embrace lasting changes. All this time to reflect has led some to realize that maybe they don?t want the life they thought they wanted. Others are realizing that life is, well, unpredictable, and perhaps it?s best to pursue that dream now rather than wait for the perfect moment to present itself.
We look at three families who have made big changes in their lives?moving across the country, fast-tracking their own business and taking the leap to home-schooling. And while they?d certainly wish it didn?t take a global pandemic to set these plans in motion, they don?t plan on going back to their before-times lives when this is over. Photo: Carmen Cheung
The Entrepreneurs
Amina Gilani and Thusenth Dhavaloganathan
Zain, 6, Zara, 4, and Aziz, 2
On March 11, 2020, Amina Gilani received her final paycheque for her job at a financial services company. Her husband, Thusenth Dhavaloganathan, had wrapped up his last program-management contract. The couple had been quietly working on their start-up in their free time in the hopes of quitting their day jobs and turning their new venture in a full-time job for both of them. They were in Chicago attending an accelerator program for start-...