One Year Into Pandemic Parenting — 10 Posts That Resonated The Most

The past 12 months have been a shit show for everyone. And while it’s not a comparison game by any means, there is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for parents. We’ve lost our support systems. We’ve had to balance working with childcare on a level we never had to before. Many of us have turned into makeshift teachers (or teacher’s assistants). Oh, and we still have the many responsibilities we’ve always had — cooking, cleaning, bedtime, family therapist, family planner, etc. — all without any outside help or social interaction.

It’s been … interesting. And exhausting. And demoralizing. And did we mention exhausting?

That’s all besides the families who have been directly impacted by COVID-19 — who’ve lost loved ones, dealt with hospitalizations and other scares, lost jobs as a result of the pandemic, or spent every day putting their lives (and their family’s lives) at risk due to their line of work.

We at Scary Mommy are living this all ourselves, and haven’t been shy about being totally honest about what pandemic parenting has meant to us, and the real stress we’ve been under as a result.

So without further ado, here are our top ten pandemic parenting posts.

‘Isolation Shaming’ Is The New Mom-Shaming

Judging how other people parent in a pandemic is now an excuse to shame our fellow moms. Can we not?

2020 Will Be The Death Of The Working Mother

Forget about work-life balance. These days it’s hard enough just to balance life at all.

How I Survived COVID-19 While Caring For A Three-Year-Old

What could be even harder than taking care of a little one while avoiding COVID-19? Caring for your kid while you actually have COVID.

I Lost My Mom Squad To The Pandemic

It’s fine for us to disagree about pop music, Disney, even multi-level marketing. But if you’re acting like the pandemic isn’t a thing, we have a problem.

Quarantine May Be Causing ACE In Some Children

Are our kids going through a traumatic experience that will have long-lasting effects? It sounds extreme and frightening, but perhaps it’s a reality we need to prepare ourselves for.

I’m Not Ready To Go Back To Normal Just Yet

This quarantine has been tough. Really tough. And yet some of the moments have been unforgettable, almost magical.

I’m A Single Mom With COVID-19 — I Can’t Die From This

This is a terrifying thought for us all, but especially single parents.

My Kids’ Friends Are Getting Together Again, But I’m Not Allowing My Kid To Join

Every family will need to make decisions that differ based on their own circumstances. It will involve risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis — and a healthy dose of reliance.

Quarantine Taught Me To Say Goodbye To Modern Mom Culture

If you ever regarded your shopping trips as stress relief — i.e., “retail therapy,” the global pandemic has been a rude awakening.

My Kids Are Not All Right

We keep hearing just how resilient kids are, and yes, they absolutely are. But as we realize there is no foreseeable end to this, it grows harder to believe they will come out of this unscathed.

Unfortunately, this pandemic isn’t over yet. It’s going to be a few more months until all of us parents can get our vaccines — and then who knows how long until our kids are vaccinated. Pandemic life will keep chugging along for a while, and we parents will still be on the struggle bus for a while longer. But we at Scary Mommy will continue to deliver the brutally honest truths that makes us all feel less alone and more connected.