June 2020
Dafna Bener

As a single parent, my days start whenever my three-and-a-half year old daughter and 14 month old son wake up, usually around 7:30 a.m., and are filled with making snacks and meals, attending a lot of Zoom meetings with colleagues, changing diapers, and picking up online grocery orders. I play games with the kids.  I try to do housework. But the little guy is too attached to me right now and my daughter is having tantrums. For my sanity, I am taking a few online courses. So when they sleep, I do the cleaning and listen to the audio version of the course.

You do what you can do. My house is clean but not tidy, because I have two monsters taking everything out. It’s close to impossible. But if I vacuum and the dishes are clean and there is food to eat, that’s what’s important. My hope is none of us get sick. That is my whole wish. I don’t care about anything else. 

It would be nice to take them to the park and the playground, to go freely to stores. My daughter enjoys helping me shop. All the summer festivals are gone. Is it tough? Yes. But it’s not only for me. Everyone is in the same boat. If we all do the right things, we will get through this. 

I see this as an opportunity. In normal times, I would be away from my kids nine, 10 hours a day. When in my life will I be able to have them full time other than now? It is a gift. It’s a difficult gift, but it’s a gift of time.