{"id":21194,"date":"2020-10-29T10:44:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=21194"},"modified":"2021-05-07T14:07:20","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T21:07:20","slug":"parenting-and-making-docs-during-a-pandemic-its-a-juggling-act","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/parenting-and-making-docs-during-a-pandemic-its-a-juggling-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Parenting and Making Docs During a Pandemic? It&#8217;s a Juggling Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Ivonne Spinoza<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Producing films often translates to putting out fires before they start, so I suppose this gets you ready for parenting in a pandemic, generally speaking, but did I feel prepared for the reality of 2020? That\u2019s a hard no.&#8221;\u2014Nico Opper<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">COVID has revealed and intensified all kinds of challenges in our lives and our society, and, while it is certainly a complicated time for everyone, amongst all, parents find themselves in a particularly tricky position during this whole global pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being stuck at home can strain most relationships. When it comes to creatives who already have unusual work circumstances and demands, who often experience difficulties separating their work and living spaces\u2014be it physically or mentally\u2014and who also might need to adhere to often impossible schedules to create and produce while still maintaining a somehow balanced lifestyle, the expectations and challenges can be next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We talked with a few documentary filmmakers who all have different lifestyles and family configurations, to try to shed some light on what\u2019s working\u2014and what isn\u2019t\u2014when it comes to producing while parenting in 2020, as well as what the year will leave behind once the dust settles.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked about the first signs of change, all those who had scheduled shoots and any other type of work out in the field suddenly found themselves with an abundance of time and an abundance of uncertainty when the whole industry essentially shut down. Meanwhile, those who were mostly freelancing and already working from home now had new full-time \u201cco-workers&#8221; who could be teenagers, toddlers, and even newborns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Nico Opper<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, di<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rector of the feature documentary <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Off and Running<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">had this to say about co-working with their kid: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWorking with a toddler is a little like working with a small drunk person. He\u2019s become a regular staple of my Zoom meetings just to keep us all from dying of boredom, and my colleagues who are parents share this experience. Need to excuse yourself for a feeding? Do your thing. Gotta prevent a tantrum brought on by an apple that was sliced four ways instead of six ways? No worries, we\u2019re standing by.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21233\" style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21233\" class=\"wp-image-21233 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/nico-opper-kid-blog.jpg\" alt=\"Nico Opper celebrating with wife and son\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/nico-opper-kid-blog.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/nico-opper-kid-blog-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/nico-opper-kid-blog-1200x795.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/nico-opper-kid-blog-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nico Opper with wife and son<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;On the other hand,&#8221; Nico continued, &#8220;Having to work from home alongside him has made me slow down, realize it\u2019s okay if I don\u2019t get my entire to-do list is done in one day, and have grace for myself and others. This whole lockdown experience isn\u2019t easy for our kids. Mine is more anxious, more vulnerable. Six months ago he was already a very independent kid, but these days he wants to be picked up all the time, and the way he just collapses into my body and rests his little head on my shoulder: it breaks my heart because I know it\u2019s coming from a place of needing to feel safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even as some filming has resumed, there are new challenges with safety, and with previously unheard things like border crossings being restricted. At the end of the day, how much work we can do these days is not only about it being \u201callowed\u201d, but also about the risks we\u2019re willing to take, personally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Filmmaker <\/span><b>Reed Harkness<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, producer and director of the documentary series <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House on Fire<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and currently at work finishing a documentary about his half-brother, had some experience with this dilemma: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen I did start getting calls, I had to turn a couple of things down because I didn\u2019t feel safe, or that it could be safe for others on the crew. It\u2019s strange because I can tell some people are hungry for work and willing to take more risks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;With my personal documentary (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/itvs.org\/films\/sam-now\"><b><em>Sam Now<\/em><\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) I felt like I needed to be extra careful because it features my family. If someone got sick as a result of filming it would undermine the whole family health intention of the project. I\u2019ve approached every inquiry since with the same sensitivity and as a result, I\u2019ve done just 2 shoots since last February.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21228\" style=\"width: 1810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21228\" class=\"wp-image-21228 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reed-harkness-son-homeschool.jpg\" alt=\"Reed Harkness' son at work on computer\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reed-harkness-son-homeschool.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reed-harkness-son-homeschool-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reed-harkness-son-homeschool-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reed-harkness-son-homeschool-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reed Harkness&#8217; son hard at work<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For <\/span><b>Sergio Rapu<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, producer and director, along with his wife <strong>Elena<\/strong>, of the documentary <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/films\/eating-up-easter\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eating Up Easter<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it has been all about adaptability: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAt first I panicked and briefly considered a career change,&#8221; he says. &#8220;Then, I became more pragmatic and stopped down all travel and face-to-face meetings. At the same time, I was losing a lot of projects because clients or funding was being pulled back.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I had to quickly shift projects that were about to go into production into a holding pattern as we figured out how best to create content in this new virus infused era while also ramping up development for other work,&#8221; Sergio says. &#8220;Since then, we\u2019ve tried adopting more production techniques from the podcast\/audio story realm to continue to create stories but ones that rely less heavily on original film production.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20514\" style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20514\" class=\"wp-image-20514 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sergio-rapu-infant-rapanui.jpg\" alt=\"Filmmaker Sergio Rapu holds his infant son, on Rapa Nui\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sergio-rapu-infant-rapanui.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sergio-rapu-infant-rapanui-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sergio-rapu-infant-rapanui-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sergio-rapu-infant-rapanui-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20514\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Filmmaker Sergio Rapu holds his infant son on Rapa Nui<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I also started pitching more local stories\u2014ones that didn\u2019t require an airplane trip and a hotel stay\u2014in order to keep budgets smaller and crews safer,&#8221; Sergio continues. &#8220;[And] invested in beefing up my edit system to be able to support more freelance edit work and my own projects, which has paid off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast, some parents have had a smoother transition because of their already more-flexible working conditions, like <\/span><b>Ariana Garfinkel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, producer of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/films\/best-and-most-beautiful-things\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best and Most Beautiful Things.<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While she&#8217;s had struggles like everyone, she is also aware her work style has been an advantage: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My work situation made parenting easier than it has been for many people I know because I already worked somewhat flexible hours, and as an independent contractor, I\u2019m in control of my time,&#8221; says Garfinkel. &#8220;But I am used to being very present and responsive in my work, so it has been hard to feel like I can\u2019t contribute all that I normally would to my projects.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative work has its own set of challenges, but by virtue of doing what we do, we\u2019re also wired to find solutions to all kinds of problems, often even anticipating them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Chris Metzler<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, co-director of the film <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/films\/rodents-of-unusual-size\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rodents of Unusual Size<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> says: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy work experience definitely gave me an advantage in dealing with this situation, as it prepared me to roll with the punches of the unexpected. Being a documentary filmmaker means planning as best you can and then dealing with unexpected reality when it comes your way. Now that is my day to day living during the pandemic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21214\" style=\"width: 1810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21214\" class=\"wp-image-21214 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/chris-metzler-daughter.jpg\" alt=\"filmmaker Chris Metzler on a sunny day with his young daughter holding a toy fishing reel\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/chris-metzler-daughter.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/chris-metzler-daughter-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/chris-metzler-daughter-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/chris-metzler-daughter-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris Metzler and daughter<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Julie Ha<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, co-producer and co-director of the upcoming documentary <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/itvs.org\/films\/free-chol-soo-lee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Chol Soo Lee<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has found a bit of a silver lining: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re very lucky that our team has been able to keep working and have actually made great progress on editing our film during this pandemic. All the forced hunkering down maybe was beneficial for us in a way.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The need to isolate to varying degrees depending on the location and the phase of the pandemic has been one the most difficult parts of this whole process for everyone, but when it comes to parents who rely on external support to manage schedules, childcare, and all kinds of responsibilities, things can get dire. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Brett Story, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">producer and director of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/films\/the-hottest-august\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Hottest August<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">says: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen I decided to have a kid I knew the only way to do it and to continue to have a filmmaking practice and an intellectual and creative life, was to involve the village; to load up on aunties and uncles from our friend circles and to share the joy and challenges of child-rearing.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;The pandemic has been isolating! And that\u2019s hard mentally and emotionally, and also literally, in terms of finding help with our kid when there are competing obligations (which there are almost every day),&#8221; she adds. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In cases like this, the children\u2019s age, and the presence and responsibilities fairly shared with partners can make all the difference between being able to manage somehow, or not at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21227\" style=\"width: 1410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21227\" class=\"wp-image-21227 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/brett-story-and-child.jpg\" alt=\"Filmmaker Brett Story on a bench with her infant daughter\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/brett-story-and-child.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/brett-story-and-child-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/brett-story-and-child-1198x1200.jpg 1198w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/brett-story-and-child-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21227\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brett Story and daughter<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Fenell Doremus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, producer of the feature documentary <\/span><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/films\/cooked-survival-by-zip-code\/\"><strong>Cooked: Survival by Zip Code<\/strong><\/a><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also stresses the importance of carving out your own space and time, which certainly any of us can relate to. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m just going to come right out and say this, when you have young kids and you love your work, Mondays can be a blessing because when they go off to school you can turn back into a focused professional,&#8221; Doremus says. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;As kids get older and the challenges of parenting are less demanding, you feel that less and less, and yet parenting has been a 24\/7 job during the pandemic,&#8221; she adds. &#8220;At a certain point, we all need our space, we all need our independence, carving out moments away from each other during the day is important.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the togetherness of this moment, even with all the anxiety in the air, has provided some treasured opportunities to bond between families. Especially for those parents with younger children like <\/span><b>Judith Helfand, <\/b>director\/producer of <strong><em>Cooked<\/em><\/strong> and<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Love &amp; Stuff<\/span><\/i>. &#8220;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There have been moments of extreme joy amidst the extreme stress and fear and freakouts and insomnia,&#8221; Helfand notes. &#8220;I have found ways to be utterly present with my daughter. I have grown more patient in some ways, I am gentler in a lot of ways and I think that comes with having more rituals and just more time together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_21229\" style=\"width: 1410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21229\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21229\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/judith-helfand-daughter.jpg\" alt=\"Judith Helfand's daughter holding ipad after getting into some messy mischief\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/judith-helfand-daughter.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/judith-helfand-daughter-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/judith-helfand-daughter-900x1200.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/judith-helfand-daughter-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21229\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Of this pic of her daughter, Judith Helfand writes, &#8220;After we were stuck and in remote [learning] hell, she decided that with all the downtime she would just eat and play with some Nutella (at 9:30 am in the morning). It&#8217;s funny and really joyous.&#8221;<\/p><\/div><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This time has been a good reminder of &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how important it is to take the time to be there with family, reflect and participate in life fully,&#8221; adds Chris Metzler. &#8220;The pandemic has given me more opportunities to be there for my kids even though it&#8217;s hard to always have answers when they want to do things that just aren&#8217;t possible. The daily conversations about germs with our 4-year-old can be heartbreaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><pullquote class='left'>&#8220;In my pandemic-induced grief, I\u2019m personally trying to remember what&#8217;s worth fighting for.\u201d<\/pullquote>The growing pains of these times will certainly help us all gain insight for years to come and when the storm comes to pass, we\u2019ll turn all this into art, as usual. <\/span><b>Garfinkel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, for one, is already feeling reinvigorated to keep working and keep pushing for a better society. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI have always been deeply concerned with issues of racial justice,&#8221; she says. &#8220;The events this year furthered that understanding and commitment as a white woman to be actively anti-racist and participate in the fight for equity. My film work also addresses these topics so I feel compelled to keep raising awareness and use whatever platform I can access to amplify these vital conversations. Now that I\u2019m starting to reach some equilibrium at home, I feel re-invested in my projects and why this work is so important to me, to make change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There isn&#8217;t just one takeaway about this insane time we\u2019re living in. But for <\/span>Story,<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cT<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">his moment helps crystalize what we need and what we want, and I hope it renews a collective fight for both. For me, those things are all about community and resources. We need free childcare. We need free healthcare. We need smaller class sizes. We need cinemas and dinner parties and festivals. We need to go into each other&#8217;s homes as friends and neighbors to help each other fight despair. The point is that grief teaches us what\u2019s important, and in my pandemic-induced grief, I\u2019m personally trying to remember what&#8217;s worth fighting for.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ivonne Spinoza is a South American trilingual Latina writer and Illustrator. She writes both for TV and about it, and her work aims to contribute to better representation while advancing equality. She mostly writes genre fiction and cultural analysis, but will branch out quite often wherever her curious mind takes her. You can learn more at <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/ivonnespinoza.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ivonnespinoza.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and find her everywhere online as @IvonneSpinoza<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Ivonne Spinoza &#8220;Producing films often translates to putting out fires before they start, so I suppose this gets you ready for parenting in a pandemic, generally speaking, but did I feel prepared for the reality of 2020? That\u2019s a hard no.&#8221;\u2014Nico Opper COVID has revealed and intensified all kinds of challenges in our lives [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":21234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[938,1877],"tags":[],"topic":[1247,1219,1262,1293],"class_list":["post-21194","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-lifestyle","topic-cinema","topic-health-and-environment","topic-labor","topic-youth-and-family"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Parenting and Making Docs During a Pandemic? It&#039;s a Juggling Act - Independent Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How are these parents coping with working and parenting at home during the COVID pandemic? 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