Four years ago today – On March 13, 2020 – the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed our lives forever. I was at the playground when I got a text notice saying that schools were closing indefinitely and my three children were to stay home with no guidance about what to do. Thus began my journey into pandemic parenting.

Working parents have always struggled to survive American “you’re on your own” parenting. The American response to COVID-19 laid bare painful truths about how the inadequacy and vulnerability of our piecemeal “system” of childcare fails parents. Looking back, we can see the completely different experiences of those with and without children, and analyze differences based on our individual/household/community situation and support. We also see glimmers of hope for a different approach to parenting from successful interventions and policy changes piloted during those years.

Last night’s election results mean that we will have a repeat of the 2020 presidential matchup; a dejavu that compelled me to revisit and resurrect this Pandemic Parenting website. So, 2024 is a fitting time to reflect on what happened and the impact on our lives today – what we gained, what we lost, lessons learned, and how we are still stuck in many ways.

Life seems back to normal as the kids and I finally made it to NYC to visit an elderly relative, yet my dauther has a mask perched her head like a headband. It’s a reminder of how the lessons of parenting during the pandemic still apply today. And the systemic weaknesses of individualized approach to raising a family means pandemic parenting is probably an apt term for what parents in the United States have been experiencing for decades.

Welcome back! I look forward to sharing my thoughts and also hearing from you.