As a working single parent to two teenagers, this back to school season has been completely different than any other. Instead of our usual back to school shopping, lunch idea brainstorms, and nervous anticipation for new classes and teachers - we were home thoughtfully weighing our options, deciding what would work for our family, and making plans for a new kind of back to school. Both kids decided they felt most comfortable doing online school, which posed completely different challenges than a typical back to school. We made sure that they were both set up with work spaces, had a solid internet connection in their rooms, and talked about how their schedules would work. The biggest thing for me is helping my kids to be independent and take responsibility for themselves. So, my youngest made his own schedule - he gets up every morning and gets his school work done, practices his piano, does whatever chores he needs to, and the rest of the day is spent trying to find creative ways to connect with his friends. My biggest advice to other working parents is - don't expect perfection. We are all navigating a new normal right now and all we can do is our best. I am a perfectionist at heart, so this is difficult for me, but I am leaning in to the idea that my kids are learning and growing from this and that they are going to be better humans because of their experience. I acknowledge how lucky I am that I am able to work from home through all of this. I think back to my days as a small business owner and I think about how stressful all of this would have been for me. I am so inspired by our pros and your spirit of resilience, sense of purpose, and willingness to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Thank you for all that each of you do to make our community stronger and better. @jbelden, @LZDNVG, @CapitalDeeJays, @GreyBugPhoto, @Guatamama, @Penn-The-Moment I know you all have kids in school or are in school yourselves, any tips or advice you'd want to share?
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