Can we talk about these pandemic babies for a minute?

They’ve been through more than I think they’ll ever comprehend and most of them aren’t even 2 yet.

They don’t know how to act in public because they haven’t been out much. They ask for masks and wear them like it’s just a normal thing toddlers have always done. They are wary of new people because they haven’t been around many since they were born. They’re always loud because they have been few places where being quiet is required.

The differences in the first two years of life of my pandemic child and my pre-pandemic child are astounding. It makes me sad most of the time when I think about it.

Pandemic babies are becoming pandemic toddlers and this is a whole new kind of kid.

I’ve worried about development, immune systems, and socializing. I’ve constantly wondered if I’m making the right choices for the child who didn’t have many options to choose from.

These kids, though… They’re going to see the world in a whole new way. They’re going to be resilient. They’re going to be strong. They’re going to face the unknown with a different kind of spunk.

Their first couple years of life have been different, and that’s going to make a different kind of kid.

And I think they’re all going to be just fine.

This post originally appeared on Facebook.