I’m writing this as numerous emails pop up on my other screen about our public K-12 school going virtual again this week. There’s advice about bell schedules, Zoom etiquette and Chromebook charging. And then my phone buzzes with news that my other child’s college is going back from break on time, in person for now, but testing protocol has changed, and as numbers are going up, how quarantining might look different.
It's confusing and scary. And the uncertainty of it all – not even knowing what to expect next week – is trying for parent, kids, caregivers and teachers.
This weekend we are re-airing a show that’s more relevant than ever, "A Parenting Revolution." In the episode, we talk about what this moment means to single moms, to feminism and what we might do to make serious change to the system, for all parents. We also talk with someone who has studied what we can learn about parenting from ancient civilizations, and with two poets and parents about the particular challenge of raising Black boys in America today.
As we air the show this time around, I’m thinking about parents with the youngest children, the kids under five who still (though it's on the close horizon) are not approved for a COVID-19 vaccine. That includes those who had babies during this pandemic, and those who’ve gone through milestones of their kids first talking and walking during a very strange time. It’s isolating being a new mother or father. Imagine if you just became one over these past two years. Journalist Tanzina Vega has become a strong voice of new moms during the pandemic, as she recounts in her story, "Quarantined with A Newborn, Alone."
Like we are reaching out to our elderly friends and family, think about connecting or reconnecting with a parent of a young child. Let us know how it goes at listen@ttbook.org.
–Shannon