Double Shifters,
I wonder if throughout my twins’ lives, when people ask their birthdate, (2/12/20) will folks forever pause, and sigh? Will they raise their eyebrows and say a little “wow” under their breath, like they so often do now?
Jonah and Miles will probably always be identified as “pandemic babies,” a micro-generation that researchers will look to for clues as we deal with the fallout of what feels like a never-ending pandemic.
(photo from Covid summer 2020)
But as always, my focus and passion is on pandemic moms (and caregivers) -- a much larger generation that still, frustratingly feels sidelined, uncompensated and unappreciated. Do you feel like the world has acknowledged what we’ve been through? Have we even had a moment to stop and process it for ourselves? When it seems like too many people are acting like Delta is only a big deal for healthcare workers and idiotic anti-vaxxer adults, do you feel like screaming, “WE ARE STILL LIVING THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC WITH OUR UNVACCINATED CHILDREN, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!!” Or is that just me? Today we’re releasing part one of a two part series that features raw and unfiltered audio diaries. (You hear my breast pump whirring in the background of many of the recordings.) I started recording around April 2020, which takes listeners back to the early days of the pandemic -- not always a happy place to remember, but an important place to revisit. My story is certainly not one of extreme hardship, but we’re sharing these episodes because we feel too much of the realities of being a pandemic mom has been swept under the rug. We’re supposed to all just be “fine” and quiet and grateful to be alive. But I think every mother on the planet has a story that deserves to be heard and honored. I don’t think this is indulgent. We are doing this because so many of the issues and experiences that were on my mind in Spring and summer 2020..... Still feel VERY relevant. And as a country, one of America’s repeated sins is our failure to account for past wrongs. We see this over and over the history of this country. Our job is to refuse to let this moment pass without demanding a better future for everyone.
Listen to “We’re All In This Together? (Part 1)” Now.
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Til soon, Katherine | 