The struggle is real. Parenting is, and always has been, a 24/7 job. Working parents have always struggled to integrate and blend parenting demands with job responsibilities in a way that makes it look seamless—each set of duties separate and contained. Note that I am using “integrate” and “blend” purposefully here. It’s not about balancing the two—job duties on one side and parenting on the other—with a give-and-take pull requiring us to direct and redirect our attention to avoid wobbling or falling out of equilibrium. 

But, let’s acknowledge that things are different right now as we weather this coronavirus pandemic. Because of Stay-at-Home orders, there has never been a clearer example of how working parents must blend the responsibilities of both roles. Parents of children of all ages are still integrating the demands of being a parent with those of their jobs, while now also trying to fill the roles of daycare, school, and friends.