I overheard a teacher say to my daughter on virtual school, “Kids, have your moms upload that later.”
Moms. Not parents. Not dads or caretakers. She said “moms”.
The moms, the women, are carrying an extra burden through all this.
Mothers often carry extra. Do more. Think of this and that thing we fathers overlook.
But with work from home and school from home, it’s an assumption that mom will add co-teacher to their resumes.
I’m a very involved dad. And I can’t begin to keep up with the amount of work my wife does for our daughter and our home.
So honor this disparity. Ladies, if you’re feeling an extra weight on your shoulders, you’re not wrong.
Take some more “me” time. Log off of devices when school is done. Sit outside in the sunshine once you’re done teaching and just let the kids have some unstructured time.
Ask to unburden other parts of your To-Do List. Delegate tasks or recognize that some things can be pushed to later in the day or even a few months from now.
Value the new role and the way it contributes to your child’s well-being and your bond with him or her. You’re both learning about each other and learning new ways to communicate.
Don’t try so hard to multitask – even if you are just listening to home school in the background, it takes your attention away.
Give up the “super mom” award. No one ever wins it. Allow yourself to be good enough instead of perfect.
Admit you don’t know things. You weren’t trained to be a teacher. Ask the actual teacher for guidance. Use the mom chat to get answers.
PS – It’s possible and hopeful that by the time you read this, many Miami schools will be back in live sessions. I hope this is a moot point. But even so, the lessons are worthwhile.
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QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
