Read the Whole article at The Moms Are (Still) Not Alright - Mockingbird (mbird.com)

The dread can hit anywhere, anytime. Last week, I was in the fancy grocery store, where I met my friend for prepackaged sushi from a refrigerator case in the back. We sat in the little dining space at the front of the store where just moments earlier, my friend had stopped a fire from breaking out in the communal microwave. An older woman had microwaved foil. My phone rang and the dread took over — the fire was the least of my worries. Every phone call from the school or even an unknown caller with a similar area code can make my head pound. Before I accepted the call, I ran through the list of things I would need to cancel for the afternoon.

Just a few days before, my kindergartener arrived at the nurse’s office with a headache and was sent home from school. She could not return until she had a n………………..