Quarantine diaries: Reflections of an overwhelmed parent

CBC Montreal wants to know how you are living these days. What are you doing differently? Have you learned, realized or observed anything?

Here is the next instalment of our series, Quarantine diaries: Life in the time of COVID-19, written by Didi Gorman, a writer who lives in Lennoxville, Que.

For a few weeks now, I've been trying to establish some kind of a daily routine for the family, one that would allow me to keep working (as a full-time writer) while, at the same time, "being there"for the children and helping them navigate the unfamiliar waters of virtual learning.

The reality is that I don't get to do either task properly. My work suffers constant disruptions now that the children are home. But I just can't afford to take time off work to supervise distance learning or take a break from my computer every time the children need to use it to go online.

In addition, they're not enthusiastic about autonomous learning and I'm not sure how much I'm willing to push without hindering the family dynamic, transforming my role from a mom to a supervisor.

How nave of me, to assume I could be a super-mom who could handle anything thrown in her path.

I find myself overwhelmed, struggling to juggle between my duty as a parent and my job. I never thought my children's education and my work would be at odds like this. I feel guilty that I don't do enough for my children.

-Didi Gorman