‘I FEEL PULLED IN SO MANY DIRECTIONS'

Frazzled Kate has opened up about the challenges of parenting and home-schooling during the pandemic

- NICI DE WET

EVER since Covid-19 changed the way the world works, she’s been doing her best to tackle projects that bring solace and cheer – each one underpinned by the power of empathy and the comfort of kindness.

Always smiling, ever charming, never a hair out of place, that’s Kate.

Yet while she may be the future queen, the Duchess of Cambridge is a mother first and foremost. And beneath that cool, calm, and collected exterior lies a mom who is like parents everywhere: a little frazzled, a bit exasperated, and a lot over the pandemic.

During a virtual chat with a group of parents and a teacher from a junior school in London, the 39-year-old shared what is probably her most relatable comment yet.

When the teacher asked the group to use one word to describe parenting during the pandemic, Kate responded immediately.

“Exhausting,” she replied.

Prodded to elaborate, she added, “You’ve the day-to-day elements of being a parent but during lockdown, we’ve had to take on additional roles that perhaps others in our communities, or in our lives, would have supported us and helped us with.”

Kate also addressed the issue of home-schooling. “We’ve had to become a teacher and personally I feel pulled in so many different directions. You try your best with everything, but at the end of the day I do feel exhausted.”

Of course, when you’re a member of one of the most privileged families on the planet, your reality is a little different.