Coming off @chloeicooney's incredible piece on medium, I'd like to describe how parenting and homeschooling in a pandemic is fundamentally different than parenting (or even homeschooling) under "normal" circumstances. https://gen.medium.com/parents-are-not-ok-66ab2a3e42d9

1) Homeschooling *relies* on experiential learning. Field trips. Excursions. Meet-ups. Museum dates. Hiking. Biking. Meeting up with other parents.

NONE OF THAT CAN HAPPEN.

This isn't "homeschooling." It's, at its most average, busy work at home.

2) Parenting, in general, *relies* on other adults, older kids, friends, and relatives picking up the burden when primary care-givers are working, exhausted, or just need time off.

NONE OF THAT CAN HAPPEN.

This isn't "parenting." It's omnipresence. Which is NOT healthy.

3) Being in a family, in general, *relies* on maintaining connections with family members. Visits, calls, texts, letters, dinners.

NONE OF THE PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS CAN HAPPEN.

And the burden of maintaining those relationships remotely is now placed on parents and caregivers.

4) Being a friend, in general, also *relies* on maintaining connections. For little kids, that's playdates and seeing friends at school.

NONE OF THAT IS HAPPENING NOW.

So the burden of maintaining those relationships remotely, for kids, is placed on parents and caregivers.

5) Being a household, in general, relies on errands. Shopping, visiting friends and family, getting things fixed.

NONE OF THAT IS HAPPENING NOW.

Kids *cannot* go to grocery stores now. For families with more than one parent, that's sort of ok. For single parents? Impossible.

6) Being a kid, in general, means a bunch of extra curricula enrichment. Swimming, karate, music, dance, drama, art, soccer, track.

NONE OF THAT IS HAPPENING.

So instead of having a tired, active kiddo whose brain is full and excited, kids are tired and under-stimulated.

We're not "parenting at home." We're not "homeschooling."

We're suddenly, without much warning, in complete charge of the mental and physical stimulation of people who are now with us all day, every single day.

People who are used to sports, art, friends, family, errands . .

It's F U C K I N G exhausting.

It takes a village to raise any child, and now we are asking parents and caregivers to be entire villages, WHILE WORKING. AND WHILE WORRYING ABOUT A PANDEMIC.