Parents, You’re Not Broken. Childcare Is.

Meredith Chamberlain: “Depending on how your morning went, you may find it either enraging or comforting to know that mothers have been shouldering the weight of the childcare crisis for as long as Oprah has been on air—and hardly anything has been done to improve it!”

MC: “It’s powerful to see the hard data. Transparency around costs is essential to making any real change. Roth IRAs are important and all, but why aren’t employers contributing to a childcare fund?”

MC: “So… where is the money going? Daycare workers and early education teachers are paid a shockingly low amount of money. How do we expect an undervalued employee to care for our children with patience, respect, and love?”

MC: “I love how Angela and Elise get into the shame that comes along with our choices around care—and how we might start to bring these conversations out in the open.”

MC: “It’s the lack of options that breeds resentment. A great primer for Anne Helen Petersen’s excellent (and extensive) reporting on care work.”

MC: “This piece exquisitely captures the inner dialogue of a working mother.”

MC: “No, we can’t rely on nap times alone to work. This seems so obvious…and yet, this quote was passed around my corner of the internet like it was an absolute epiphany.”

MC: “The care crisis exists because women are undervalued in our society—mothers and childcare workers alike. I love the dynamic of the convo between these two inspiring women.”

MC: “Maybe communal living is the answer? For my first edition of Who Cares?, I interviewed Molly, who grew up in a kind of commune and longs to recreate her childhood care model for her own children.”

MC: “There is a better way. Nordic countries have government-sponsored childcare and they let their babies sleep outside on the sidewalks.”

MC: “Parenting in Spain seems pretty relaxing too. Maybe it’s because their government spends roughly $8,500 more per child per year on care?”

MC: “A shorter work day (one that aligns with school hours, for example) would take some pressure off working parents and allow them to spend more time with their kids.”

MC: “Feeling fired up and ready for action? Check out these actually actionable steps that businesses and governments can take to start contributing and shouldering some of the costs of child care. Like, right now.”