This past Shabbos I was walking near the park with my two-year-old son. I saw a mother with her toddler and remarked that it’s good to see that civilization still exists. She asked me how I keep my son occupied, a great question.

With no daycare the challenges seem almost insurmountable. It happens that last week my wife had a short essay published in the New York Times Coronavirus Briefing newsletter. She mentioned that our family has become a one-man band, led by our son, who plays a toy guitar (which he calls a violin) and gives us strict cues as to exactly where to stand and when to sing or dance with him.

He has, in essence, become the band leader for a recent stay-at-home mom and father that’s working remotely. How does one characterize such a situation? On the one hand we have a conductor in the making while on the other hand we have become parents who are trying to balance the burden of total devotion to their child with few breaks to breathe. I don’t know the answer, but a new reality is here and sharing our stories of survival shows that we are all not alone.