A youth mental-health crisis is crushing working parents — and employers need to pay attention

This story orginally published on April 13, 2022 and was updated on January 30, 2023.

Like many working moms, my workweek is calibrated with militaristic precision. I know exactly how long I can devote to each meeting and task and still have the bandwidth to do the afternoon soccer carpool, cook dinner, and help with homework at night. Which is why last Wednesday threw me off my game. 

I was on a tight deadline, but my mind was preoccupied with my younger daughter. She'd told me about some social dynamics at school that I didn't like the sound of, so I'd scheduled a parent-teacher conference. Over Zoom, her teachers and I had a constructive — albeit emotional — conversation.