Mothers are Holding up the World

Kristi writes for Juggling Normal and Medium. This post first appeared here, and is published in full with permission.

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How did that happen?

I feel like we (meaning the mamas of course) were getting crushed under the weight of the work/life balance situation, and when we weren’t looking, they (meaning whoever decides these things) snuck in another layer: school.

Make no mistake; it’s falling on the shoulders of the moms to make school work. Either you are a business owner with three remote schooling kiddos 🙋🏻‍♀️ , a WFHM who is homeschooling her children, or a working mom with children going back in person. But with the uncertainty and new policies, it’s moms who take on the added emotional labor too.

We see it all.

A big brother going in person because it’s a new high school and he hasn’t yet made friends, while little sister stays home because of asthma. Another family who sends their daughter to the private preschool her mama teaches at, while the son goes public and daddy returns to the office. Who will care for the son if his school closes, as many suspect it inevitably will?

I don’t know if anyone feels like their situation is ideal. I don’t know any mother who feels that it isn’t impacting her career, trajectory, productivity, mental health, marriage, or well-being.

Not today, mamas.

And 99.9% of the time, I tie up my posts with a bow, bring it full circle, offer a silver lining or applicable takeaway. Not today, mamas.

I’m not depressed or resigned, but it’s important to tell our truth and let it stand. Mothers are bearing the brunt of this pandemic in so many ways. If you know one (or several), do something nice for them — the kind of nice that takes something off their to-do lists, like offer to pay for their instacart or run an errand for them. They are holding up the world.

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