Hearing the high pitch alarm ringing promptly at 6 A.M., stay-at-home parent, Flora, wakes up groggily, wanting to fall right back asleep. Instead, she forces herself off her bed and makes her way to her daughter’s room. Such has been Wong’s routine since the start of distance learning on August 5.

Flora Wong, stay-at-home parent of two, has been through countless struggles amidst the global pandemic of Covid-19. The start of distance learning simply added on to her piling plate.

Wong said, “Even before distance learning and Covid, I already had so much going on. I have to do chores, cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner, do taxes, tend to my kids and my parents, you name it. I just have so little time and freedom for myself. The funny thing is, I don’t even have a job and yet I’m so busy every day.”

Wong had immigrated to America with her two kids in 2010, and with her husband working overseas and visiting every few months, Wong had naturally become in charge of her household. She has been carrying this difficult position for a decade now.

“And especially now with distance learning, I have so much more restrictions. I no longer drive my kids to and from school or to extracurricular activities. Those were the only times during the day where I would go out. Now, I don’t even have that. Now, I even tend to put off grocery shopping and running errands in fear of getting sick. So I only go out when I absolutely need to,” said Wong.

A lot of people tend to focus on teachers and students having difficulties adjusting to distance learning. However, stay-at-home parents who are struggling relentlessly with personal struggles are experiencing even more emotional obstacles with the new normal.

“It’s definitely suffocating to always be at home. But I guess this is the sacrifice that comes with taking on the household. I just hope this can resonate with a lot of stay-at-home parents and bring more appreciation towards them. This is a very difficult job,” said Wong.