Moms in the Pandemic, I See You

To all the moms 5 months into the Pandemic, I see you. We have made it through the spring with Distance Learning, we made it through most of the summer coming up with activities for children to do safely, and now we are getting ready to send our children back to school. Depending on where we live and what our school or school district offers, we are either sending children back to school, preparing our children to do Distance Learning, or to embark in homeschooling. While the first couple of weeks might have been what seemed like a refreshing yet confusing break, this many months in, I think we can all agree that parenting in a Pandemic is NOT easy. Even with well-behaved children and a support system, it is still straight up really difficult. And for most of us, it has not been a break at all, but more of a 24/7 parenting situation.

This far in, to all of the moms, I am cheering for us to keep on keeping on. We are tired because we are running a marathon instead of a sprint. Let’s come together and encourage each other. Whether it is an on-line book group, a social distance mom’s group, the friends you can text any time to vent or to listen, let’s keep on going and supporting each other. Our children are watching as we get ready for the next chapter of navigating this Pandemic, and we need to fill our own cups so we can also fill theirs.

We can start by being supportive of each other as we get ready to send our children back to school, in whatever form that is for you or your friends. While the beginning of this school year will be different from others, what is the same is that we probably need the support of other moms more than ever. And what we need from each other is empathy, understanding, and people who we can laugh with in the middle of this situation. I am so grateful for the friends who have been there for me, and it has made all the difference in getting through it. So as we get ready for fall and the energy that this requires, we are not alone. We are in this together, and we will get through it together.