It's nearly two years into the pandemic. We may not know when or how it will end, but we know one thing for sure: Moms are not alright.
We were all on an even playing field in March 2020 when offices and schools shut down, and we took a collective pause. It may not have always been awesome to have everyone at home together, but at least all society was in the same boat.
With the latest surge of Omicron, it is evident that mothers are society's insurance policy. It's not like this hasn't always been the case, but right now, it just feels like a big fuck you.
Moms and their kids have been sacrificial lambs in this whole ordeal.
School is going remote because they don't have enough healthy teachers, but grab some chicken wings and a beer with your buddies at a restaurant. Want to go to a nightclub? No problem. I'll once again stay home with my kids and choose between my career, my sanity, and my child's future. Have a good time.
Two years later, mothers are still battling daycare/school closures, spotty or non-existent childcare, after-school programming cancellations, and our family's mental well-being, while the rest of the world seemingly moves on. All of this puts tremendous strain on our already limited time and energy.
I'm someone who generally keeps a positive outlook, but even I hit my limit.
My family has recently experienced multiple exposures, childcare disruptions, and the disappearance of anything that felt remotely normal once again.
I've had heavy conversations with my daughters as each of them experienced moments of grief over what they have lost and sacrificed in the last two years. They went to school for a year in our basement. There have been no slumber parties. Playdates have been minimal. We barely go anywhere without weighing the risks.
Anytime they learn a close contact has Covid, it results in tears, fear, and long conversations. I can calm them down, but it's hard for them and draining on me. As their mother, I grapple with the fact this is not normal and something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
The truth is, Covid is temporary, but the burden society places on moms is not.
What mothers deal with daily has always been there. It took the pandemic to widen the exposure.
Channeling the rage, anger, frustration, and disappointment I am currently feeling, I plan to turn it into something productive to change the system for women and children.
Other women are also taking on this cause, like Reshma Saujani, founder of "The Marshall Plan for Moms" and the founding mothers of "Chamber of Mothers."
We're already plotting, planning, and rallying the troops. Because if there is one group that can get shit done, it's moms.