‘Your kids have had more screen time than ever. I need my crap together. I should be doing more.’: Mom struggling with pandemic parenting says ‘throw the shoulds out the window’

“’I need my sh*t together.’

‘I wish I wasn’t so exhausted.’

‘I should be doing more…’

‘I feel guilty/worried/sad because…’

Literally these sentences and more have been swirling throughout my brain since March.

Parenting in a global pandemic is sh*t. Just going to call it.

Yet, here we are, as mothers, as people, thinking we should be doing so much more.

Why?

Never in our lives have we ever had to parent in a global pandemic. Let that sink in, I mean really sink in.

We are in a pandemic.

Right now is literally about surviving.

So, if you have ordered take away, more than you’ve cooked, so you should. We are in a pandemic.

If your kids have had more screen time than ever and you just cannot fathom the energy to do any Pinterest activity whatsoever, I mean, so you should. We are in a pandemic.

If your wardrobe is pajamas and your greys are down to your ears and you can literally knock a human being out with your boobs swaying in the wind because bras just don’t fit into your daily wear – so you should. We are in a pandemic.

You are a great mother, a fantastic one. And yeah, you’re exhausted; yeah, you aren’t on top of things; yeah, you hate home schooling — it’s not what you trained up to be. And yeah, you’re grateful for all the time you get for your family, but they’re also driving you insane because being stuck in isolation with no breaks, no support, no relief, and no time with friends feels relentless and tiring. Maybe you’re feeling really depressed right now, and why wouldn’t you? We are in a global pandemic.

So, maybe you didn’t spring clean your house. Maybe you’re terrified of going to work. Maybe you’ve lost your job. Maybe life feels like absolute sh*t right now. Honestly, so it should. Because we are in a global pandemic.

So, if all you did today was nothing, well that’s awesome. Because right now is all about surviving, and you’re doing one heck of a job in the circumstances.

Parenting in a global pandemic is tough, but so are you, and right now it is more than okay if all the ‘shoulds’ go out the window.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Laura Mazza, where it originally appeared. Follow Laura on Instagram here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more from Laura:

‘A nurse latched a painful, angry piranha to my nipples. ‘How many feeds has he had?’ She didn’t notice I had been crying. She said she’d help me. She never came back.’: Mother urges ‘we are not just a vessel’ for a baby, implores others to check new mom’s mental health