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My partner and I have the same teaching schedule this quarter. Our kids are 20 months and 4 years. We have a babysitter watching the kids part time so we can teach. But yesterday my 4 year old coughed a few times so we told the babysitter to stay home. (thread)
Since I have tenure (and am masochistic), I volunteer to wrangle kids + teaching today. It& #39;s a 2 hour zoom discussion session, lots of group work + synthesis.
I ask the 4yo to not disturb me unless there& #39;s something really important. 18 seconds later: "hey mom I really, really need to tell you something. Did you know that my head just started singing We Will Rock You?"
3 minutes before class starts: toddler wakes from his nap, sits groggily and cutely in my lap. Maybe he& #39;ll just hang out here and watch.
0:10 4yo asks to watch Daniel Tiger, I send both kids off with crossed fingers. 4yo doesn& #39;t move for the next 2 hours.
0:20 toddler wanders in, bored. Struggles in my lap. I offer him a chocolate egg filled with Reese& #39;s pieces, killing 10 minutes.
0:30 Toddler brings a series of books to me. He sits in my lap while I flip pages silently and talk to students, hoping he doesn& #39;t notice that I& #39;m not reading to him.
0:50 toddler disappears for 5 blessed minutes, returns with dirty diaper. I carry child + laptop to the changing table, angling laptop to avoid broadcasting 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đź’©" title="Pile of poo" aria-label="Emoji: Pile of poo">
1:10 toddler walking around calling for daddy, plaintively wondering why nobody in this house is taking care of him.
1:15 toddler finds 2 jingle bell sticks and marches toward me shaking them happily, drowning out my explanation of the central limit theorem.
1:25 toddler has HAD IT WITH THIS SHIT. He stands in my lap, shrieking every time I try to talk to the camera. After 3 attempts, he slaps me in the face. My (talented, generous, game-to-be-put-on-the-spot) TAs take over the class as I mute my mic. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙌" title="Raising hands" aria-label="Emoji: Raising hands"> @AnnaWysocki3 @julia_gb
I& #39;ve been feeling guilty about having a babysitter at all when so many others are managing with no child care. Today was funny in retrospect but not a sustainable way to teach. Deeply in awe of everyone out there, in every kind of situation, struggling through somehow.
