The Agony of Pandemic Parenting

<p><i>This episode contains strong language and emotional descriptions about the challenges of parenting during the pandemic, so if your young child is with you, you might want to listen later.</i></p><p>Several months ago, The Times opened up a phone line to ask Americans what it’s really been like to raise children during the pandemic.</p><p>Liz Halfhill, a single mother to 11-year-old Max, detailed her unvarnished highs and lows over the past year.</p><p>Guest: Liz Halfhill, a single mother and full-time paralegal, in Spokane, Wash.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>The Times followed Liz and two other mothers in different parts of America who shared their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/04/parenting/covid-pandemic-mothers-primal-scream.html?smid=pc-thedaily">experience of pandemic parenting</a> over dozens of interviews. What emerged was a story of chaos and resilience, resentment and persistence, and of course, hope.</li><li>Take a look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/04/parenting/working-moms-coronavirus.html?smid=pc-thedaily">“The Primal Scream,”</a> a series from The Times that examines the pandemic’s effect on working mothers in America.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>