The pandemic has given a new meaning to parenting. Whether you're an essential worker trying to find childcare [1], working from home with your kids in tow, or a brand-new parent [2], COVID-19 has certainly made raising children a little more complicated.
Despite the struggle of parenting with so much uncertainty in the world, families have proven that resilience is the name of the game these days. Ahead, find a selection of photos that illustrate what parenting amid a global pandemic has been like. From dropping your little ones off at school clad in a mask to attending a socially-distanced graduation ceremony, these shots all illustrate our new reality.
Anna Epstein brought her 9-year-old daughter Riley to visit with her 78-year-old grandmother in a nursing home this past March. This photo was taken as they were saying goodbye after chatting via cellphone through the glass.
In March, a woman named Christy Cusick handed out free school lunches to families at Olympic Hills Elementary School in Seattle, WA.
Mom of three Stephanie Scurlock posted a photo to Instagram of her three kiddos dressed in their dad's scrubs [4] to illustrate the importance of social distancing [5].
"It's pretty difficult to convey all of my feelings during this time," she wrote on Instagram in April. "So many thoughts. So many worries. But, I think this photo sums up the gist of it. To anyone on the healthcare front lines, you are our heroes and I am praying for your safety, both physically and mentally."
In April, an 8-year-old named Peyton Buss waited for his teammates from the Conejo Valley Little League to drive by in the hopes of celebrating his birthday. More than 25 cars filled with cheering parents and kids swung by his front yard to give their best wishes.
In 2020, many celebrations had to be done virtually this year, including baby showers.
A photographer captured what it was like for kids to return to school in Belgium amid the coronavirus pandemic [6]. Clad in masks, students were able to attend in-person learning in May.
Kindergartener Scarlett Keeler spent her first day of virtual school learning about reading and science back in August.
A mom named Danielle staged a light-hearted back-to-school photo [7] amid the pandemic featuring her kids in masks and plastic ponchos. "Just a few extra safety measures for Back to School," she captioned the picture. "No additional caption needed."
A mother kissed her daughter goodbye while dropping her off at Stark Elementary School in Connecticut for in-person learning in September.
A mom named Sara showed off her newborn daughter, Olivia, to her husband while he stood on the other side of a glass separator. This was the first photo he ever took of his little girl.
Giovana, a mother of three, shared a picture of what it's like to work from home with kids underfoot [8] to Instagram. "This is how working from home looks like for me!!!" she captioned her Instagram post. "They can say the work with me."
Due to social distancing guidelines, Halloween [9] looked a whole lot different this year. In Columbia, SC, a boy received treats via a candy chute [10], or a device some parents used to safely distribute sweets amid the pandemic.
Visiting with Santa also became a major Zoom event [11] for believers all over the world. Just look at these little cuties talking with the man in the red suit and his trusty elf, Pipkin.