Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, people have realized the importance and bravery of essential workers, but unless they have an essential worker in the family, they don’t see how the workers’ home lives change. My mom is a nurse and because she has taken care of patients with COVID-19, my family’s normal routine has changed. The first change I saw at home was my mom’s work schedule. My mom normally works during the day and usually gets home a little after I get home from school. Our schedules were similar, and we were able to see and talk to each other after work and school. Now she has been working the night shift. By the time I get ready to go to bed, she gets ready to go to work. A few hours after I wake up, my mom gets home from work and goes to bed. This was weird to experience at first because I’m used to us being awake at the same time and going to bed at similar times. When she works the night shift, the only time we really see each other are the few minutes she’s awake when she first gets home and the few hours she’s awake before she leaves for work. Another change we had to make at home was limiting contact with each other. My mom is a big hugger, and usually hugs us when she gets home and before she goes to bed. To be extra careful, she stopped doing this. We have also been extra careful by washing our hands more often, and my mom has been washing her work clothes and bag every day. With my mom being a nurse, the coronavirus has made many changes to our normal lives along with the other changes everyone is experiencing. It has also made me realize how important and selfless all essential workers are, and how they put themselves at risk to help everyone at home during this time.