I Love My Kids But I Loathe Mother’s Day

Plus, what it's like to be a paramedic during a pandemic. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( May 10, 2020 Dear Cog reader, Happy Mother's Day – if you're into that kind of thing. Sharon Brody is decidedly not. In [this hilarious essay]( the WBUR News anchor and Cog contributor writes that while she loves being a mom, she hates the holiday fêting moms with the burning passion of 1,000 suns. OK, I wrote that – but she inferred it. What she did write, as only Sharon can, is this: "Mother's Day bugs me because most of the year, too many people accuse too many moms of doing it wrong — but suddenly, for one damned day, every mom is a saint." Solidarity, moms. And, as the coronavirus pandemic persists in Massachusetts, many people who work in emergency medicine say this is the most challenging moment in their professional lives. This week, in WBUR's ongoing series of dispatches from the front lines, we [heard from]( Cog contributor Ted Flanagan. In addition to being a gifted writer, veteran and little league coach, Ted is a paramedic for the town of West Boylston, Mass. Listen, and you'll hear the tension, pain, weariness and resolve in his voice. It's impossible to forget. Thank you, Ted – and all the essential workers. Moms included. — Frannie Carr Toth Cognoscenti, co-editor newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[What It's Like To Be A Paramedic During A Pandemic]( Many people who work in emergency medicine say this is the most challenging moment in their professional lives. Today, in our ongoing series of dispatches from the front lines, we hear from Ted Flanagan, a paramedic in Central Mass. [Read more](.   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [I Love My Kids But I Loathe Mother’s Day — Especially This Year]( Most days, people accuse moms of doing it wrong -- but suddenly, for one day, every mother is a saint. Sharon Brody calls out the hypocrisy. [Read more](. [The USPS Is Always There For Us. It's Time To Return The Favor]( Through rain, sleet and now a national pandemic, United States Postal Service workers remain essential to our way of life. Representatives Stephen F. Lynch and Ayanna Pressley urge congressional action to keep the agency afloat. [Read more](.  Support the news [Listen To Essential Workers First. Then, We Can Consider Reopening The Economy]( The only way out of the COVID pandemic is to put people before profit, and make sure that every member of our society is able to protect themselves from infection, has access to food, water and shelter and medical care. [Read more](. [How To Write A Sympathy Note In The Time Of Coronavirus]( Sending a card has always been a way of showing up, writes Anita Diamant. And it has the added benefit of maintaining a safe distance. [Read more](. [On The 75th Anniversary Of VE Day, We're Still Fighting To Protect The Dignity Of Every Human Life]( Our best tribute to the dead and the survivors of the war 75 years ago, is to do everything we can to protect the dignity of every individual, writes Julie Lindahl, and to stand up for the rights of the planet. [Read more](. What We're Reading "Women find gaining power easier in 'a political culture in which there’s a relative support and trust in the government,' Kathleen Gerson, a sociology professor at NYU, told The Guardian. A country that elects a strongman—or where a strongman can hold on to power, once elections become a sham—is an already troubled country." ("[Are Female Leaders More Successful At Managing The Coronavirus Crisis?]( The Guardian) "In Justin Levinson’s household in Queens, the division of labor hasn’t changed much, even though the public library where he works is closed and his wife, a lawyer, is working full time from home. There’s more to be done — they no longer have their babysitter or house cleaner, and their youngest son needs special education from home — but she still does more of it, they both said. Mr. Levinson is candid about his share of the work. 'To be honest, it’s still less than 50 percent,' he said. 'It actually hasn’t changed that much.' Their sons, who are 10 and 14, still ask their mother for homework help, even though she’s the one working." ("[Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 3 Percent of Women Agree]( The New York Times) "Part of our odd success may be because we’re used to this. We’ve dealt with everyday terror in our brains and bodies for years, and we pushed through to hold down our jobs, go to back-to-school night, make birthday cakes. And part of it is something else, a feeling that is harder to name but deeply healing. It is a long-awaited respite from shame." ("[My PTSD Can Be A Weight. But In This Pandemic, It Feels Like A Superpower.]( Vox) “ COVID-19 is the crisis that community leaders have warned of for years. No, it’s not the hurricane or flood we anticipated — but it’s a crisis that is devastating the community that will have lasting impacts for years to come. — Roseann Bongiovanni and Leslie Dominguez Santos, "[You May Not Realize It, But Chelsea Makes Your Life Better. Now It's The Epicenter Of COVID-19 In Mass.]( ICYMI [Why I Won’t Sacrifice My Sanity To My Kids’ Online Schooling]( Our kids are learning more important lessons than academics this spring, writes KJ Dell'Antonia.      If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( [WBUR]( [WBUR]  [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters.]( Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2020 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. Our mailing address is: WBUR-FM 890 Commonwealth AveBoston, MA 02215-1205 [Add us to your address book](