With Mother’s Day just around the corner, and this being the last issue of the semester, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank mothers around the world for their strength and support during the coronavirus pandemic, my own included.

Being a mother on its own is difficult. Being a working mom is difficult. Being a working mother during a pandemic is catastrophic. For over a year now, I have witnessed my mother be put under a monumental amount of stress, due both to COVID-19 and other circumstances beyond her control. Despite this, she has made the best of a bad situation and remained as strong as ever.

I know she is not alone in this either. Millions of moms from all over the world have felt the struggle of juggling a family, a full-time job and COVID-19. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Impact Survey, mothers working from home during the pandemic reported more anxiety, loneliness and depression than telecommuting fathers. In addition, telecommuting moms added 49 minutes of housework, compared to fathers adding zero. Mothers have also felt more responsible for keeping up with housework and managing their children. Sociologist, Stephanie Coontz, believes this is “a form of work-family conflict people often ignore when they tout the advantages of working from home, and as this report shows, it’s a source of gender equality at home and at work.”

This Mother’s Day, however you were planning to spend it, do something really nice for your mom. It does not have to be some elaborate, expensive gift, just something that shows her you understand how hard the pandemic has been for her, and you appreciate everything she has done for you. At the same time, appreciate the fact that you have a mother because there are many people that dread Mother’s Day having to be reminded of an extremely painful time in their life, especially if it is coronavirus-related.

Whatever your family situation is, tell someone you love that you love them, and make them feel like they matter; Mom, dad, sister, brother, third cousin twice removed, just let them know you care.