An Open Letter to Tuscaloosa Moms During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Moms,

I see you. I know you are trying, and I am here to tell you that YOU ARE ENOUGH. You are okay.

Everything right now is absolutely insane. We are expected to work our jobs while taking care of our children and our families and on a normal day that's a Sisyphean task. Add a global pandemic to the mix and toss in the cancellation of school, daycare, and basically everything, and you've got the recipe for a perfect you-know-what storm.

So many of my dear friends are on the verge of a nervous breakdown because handling the pressure of it all feels beyond impossible.

I am here to tell you, momma, that as long as you are trying--that's enough.

No one expects you to be a perfect employee and a perfect teacher in addition to being Martha Stewart behind the scenes. All that matters is that you're trying.

Do your kids know you love them? Do your kids have food, clothing, and shelter? If the answer is yes, you're doing okay. I promise you: you are doing okay.

Being a parent is utterly exhausting, and I know it's crazier now more than ever. I am working my regular schedule of at least ten hours a day, and while I am in the office and the studio, I have my second-grader with me. After a long day at work, we come home and tackle school assignments. I cook; I clean, and then I pass out and start the cycle all over again. I feel like I am running a marathon on a treadmill that's set to a 55% incline.

I am stressed beyond my breaking point, but I somehow find the strength to get up and keep going. How do I do it? How do any of us do it? I'll tell you how: I am a woman and a mother, and I am strong as hell.

You are, too.

xoxo,

Meg