Each person has a unique perspective and experience having gone through a pandemic these last 9 months. We’ve expressed gratitude as a nation for the medical staff faced with an unprecedented amount of incoming patients, while not having the proper protective equipment back in the early months of the chaos. We’ve hailed the many essential grocery store, sanitation, janitorial, and dedicated blue collar workers who do not have the option of working from home. We’ve seen outpourings of love for teachers, of which many are entangled with mixed or delayed messaging from their districts on how to execute an array of different learning models: hybrid, remote, or in-person. So let us, at long last, shine a light on the parents. This group has been bearing the burden of this pandemic from every possible direction. This considerably large chunk of the population is exhausted, extended financially, and wondering how much longer life will feel like Groundhog Day.
As a working parent myself of two boys ages 7 and 11, I not only began to experience the mental and emotional load of this pandemic back in April when the realization struck that no one was going back to normalcy anytime soon, but I began to see what other peers of mine were experiencing, and the view was eye opening. Fast forward to this month, November, and the wear and tear of these last 9 months can be felt in the air by a knowing look.
After listening to many other parents in neighboring towns of my own, all within Connecticut, I began to unravel a common theme. Trying to juggle working while parenting, teaching their children, managing the increased housework load, trying to police fun screen-time and necessary screen-time, while delicately navigating the mental health of their families, leaves no time or energy for mom or dad. It’s scary to think of what more months or another year of this could lead to for some. The overwhelming consensus is it’s simply not sustainable.
Chris lives in Fairfield County with his wife, Paola, and their two children, ages 9 and 4. He works in experiential marketing and is in and out of the home depending on his appointments. Paola is a freelance consultant in addition to working for a design boutique. They try to tag team watching the kids, since they both utilize what is now their home office space.Their 9 year…
