This episode contains strong language and emotional descriptions about the challenges of parenting during the pandemic, so if your young child is with you, you might want to listen later.

Several months ago, The Times opened up a phone line to ask Americans what it’s really been like to raise children during the pandemic.

Liz Halfhill, a single mother to 11-year-old Max, detailed her unvarnished highs and lows over the past year.

Guest: Liz Halfhill, a single mother and full-time paralegal, in Spokane, Wash.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter.

Background reading:

The Times followed Liz and two other mothers in different parts of America who shared their experience of pandemic parenting over dozens of interviews. What emerged was a story of chaos and resilience, resentment and persistence, and of course, hope.
Take a look at “The Primal Scream,” a series from The Times that examines the pandemic’s effect on working mothers in America.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Pandemic motherhood