'As mothers take on more and more of the parenting and household duties, it is crucial that we all find ways to give ourselves a break.'
I’m sitting in my car perched on Mulholland Drive, around the corner from my home in the Hollywood Hills, conducting a telemedicine call with a patient. As a psychologist who specializes in reproductive and maternal mental health, COVID-19 has been a particularly busy time for me.
My children constantly want to be around me—to hold onto me, to pull on my clothes, to talk to me from an uncomfortably close distance, and to ask me unending questions. My daughter, who is currently going through a “Mommy phase,” is particularly unrelenting. Which is how I found myself in my car that afternoon, in a desperate attempt to get some much-needed alone time. But it was short lived.
On one hand, it is, of course, incredibly endearing and a personal source of importance that she wants to hang out with her mother, not her father—especially when . She wants me to tuck her into bed, not dad; she wants to shower with me, have me tickle her back, and sit on my lap as we watchtogether. But as many states, including California, enter Week Seven of stay-at-home orders, I don’t crave the human touch so manyI’m not the only one. Even before shelter-in-place orders, a 2017 study published inrevealed that 13% of parents feel burnt out from the constant supervision of their children.
Which is why I am making it a priority to carve out “alone time,” however I can. While practicing social distancing, I go on long walks in my neighborhood every evening, where I can breathe in fresh air and feel my body moving as the Eucalyptus trees sway in the wind. If anything, the current pandemic has made this necessity all the more pressing and, in a way, allowing myself these kinds of simple indulgences has also made me a better mother.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A Spring-Ready Look to Celebrate Mother’s Day and Mother EarthSustainably shop this perfectly put-together Mother’s Day look as seen on Arizona Muse in Vogue’s 2011 February issue, styled by Tonne Goodman.
Read more »
May snowstorm could bring bomb cyclone, thundersnow to NortheastA once-in-a-generation May snowstorm could bring a bomb cyclone and thundersnow across portions of the Northeast and New England.
Read more »
Drew Barrymore Talks Mother's Day Plans: 'I Might Get' a 'Dope Rainbow Drawing from My Kids'Drew Barrymore tells PEOPLE she only wants a simple family day for Mother's Day while social distancing
Read more »
Blake Shelton and Hoda Kotb's Surprise for Mother-Daughter Nurses WillBlake Shelton just gave these mother-daughter nurses a touching surprise ahead of Mother's Day.
Read more »
This Mother's Day weekend could be colder than Christmas. And a bomb cyclone and thundersnow may be on tap.Forecasters are warning of a rare spring pattern that is expected to sweep unseasonably cold weather east of the Rockies on Mother's Day weekend.
Read more »
Just in time for Mother's Day, L.A. flower shops reopen after coronavirus shutdownLos Angeles' mayor allows wholesale dealers to start selling under strict social distancing guidelines.
Read more »