Quiet Confessions, Episode 33: Solidarity For the Parents Who Are Not "Fine"

In this timely solo session, Chelsea steps away from the recording studio to check in from their living room. Recorded via phone while watching for the school bus, this episode is a "solidarity session" for any parent feeling the weight of the world. 

This isn't a political episode, but a human one. Chelsea explores the strange cognitive dissonance of performing "normal" tasks like laundry and packing lunches while navigating a world that feels scary and uncertain.

If you are currently in a place of despair, grief, or exhaustion, this episode is a gentle reminder that being present for yourself and your children is the bravest thing you can do right now.

🔑Key Takeaways

• The Reality of Continuous Illness: Chelsea’s household remains in a cycle of sickness, with their youngest currently fighting the flu while Chelsea continues their own complex recovery.
• Parenting Through Collective Heavy: There is a shared feeling of uncertainty and fear in the current climate that makes everyday chores like laundry feel surreal and difficult.
• Solidarity Over Solutions: This episode offers no easy answers or political debates; instead, it provides a space for parents to feel seen in their struggle to exist as humans right now.
• Rest as Resistance: For those living with chronic illness and disability, prioritizing rest and self-care is a vital necessity for functioning as a parent.
• Small Acts of Bravery: Chelsea reminds listeners that simply being present and taking care of basic needs for themselves and their children is an act of courage during times of chaos. 

💬Sound Bites

• "If it feels really, really hard to exist as a human, let alone a parent, you are 100% not alone." 
• "This is not the environment that we thought we would be raising our children in." 
• "It feels really strange to do the normal things like make breakfast or pack lunches... what am I doing when there is so much chaos going on?" 
• "Being present and taking care of me and taking care of my kids is above all else the bravest thing I can do right now." 
• "Rest is resistance... I can't function if I'm not well, and my kids need me to function." 

This episode discusses topics that may be triggering for some individuals. Please check the show notes for more information and be mindful of your own mental health and comfort levels.

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Join Odd Moms On Call as we tackle parenting in a world on fire—one hot take, eye roll, and belly laugh at a time. 

Transcript

Chelsea Myers (00:42)
Hey, welcome back to another Quiet Confession. Little mini episodes where you and I get to share some space together and I catch you up on what's new with me. This week will probably be another short episode, not quite as exciting as last week's Letter to Brandi which, spoiler alert, I have not

received a DM or a message or anything, I know, shocking, such is life and I got my message out there. But we are, I feel like this is, I'm on repeat, like I'm a broken record. We are still navigating illness in our home. My youngest has the flu. I'm still recovering from so many different things. Trying to keep myself from getting

sick again while still having to be a parent and doing all the things. So what you're getting is a recording on my phone as I am sitting in the living room watching for the bus to come. And yeah, that's where I'm at. what I wanted to do most was just check in.

say hi, tell you you're not alone. am recording this on January 13th, 2026 and this is not a political podcast and that's not where this is going but what I do feel is important to say is that things in the US are heavy.

things are scary. Things are uncertain. No matter where you fall politically, it's not about that. It's about being a mother, being a parent, being a person. ⁓ And if it feels really, really hard to exist as a human, let alone a parent, you

are 100 % not alone in I mean, we all have our own unique challenges. We all have our own set of circumstances that we are navigating on the daily.

Regardless of your belief system, regardless of your political affiliation, regardless of any of that, I think we can all agree that this is not the environment that we thought we would be raising our children in. ⁓ It's certainly not the environment that I thought I would be raising children in and navigating. And navigating as a person who is

relatively newly disabled and chronically ill. ⁓ It's a whole new world, you guys, and not the Aladdin kind.

It's heavy. Things are heavy. Things are hard. And it feels really strange to do the normal things like make breakfast or pack lunches or even doing laundry. It's like, what am I doing when there is so much chaos going on in my country? ⁓

in the world around me, how do I move forward? How do I take another step? How do I act like everything's fine? You don't. You don't. And again, this isn't a political space. This is a parenting space. So I'm acknowledging that our kids have needs and we have needs and balancing those needs right now feels especially challenging.

I don't have solutions, I don't have answers. This is purely a solidarity episode. This is very much me saying, I see you, I'm with you, you can sit with me, we can be in this uncertainty together, breathe, have a cup of tea, whatever it is that you need to sort of reset.

What I'm reminding myself is being present and taking care of me and taking care of my kids is above all else the bravest thing I can do right now. ⁓ So no, I'm not acting like everything's perfect and everything's fine and that rainbow's in sunshine. I'm also not burdening my children.

with my fears and my anxieties. What I am doing is holding them a little closer, except for right now because we're all sick. But we're slowing down. We're being intentional. I'm giving all the love that I have to give while also taking care of me, realizing that rest is resistance and that I can't function if I'm not well. And my kids need me to function.

so that was rambly and I'm sure you heard my dogs barking and my fans going and the audio quality is not the best because I'm recording from my phone I'm sorry I'm sorry if this was heavy I'm sorry if this is not the episode that you needed this week if you skipped that's okay because these are my confessions and this is where I'm at right now I am in a place of

despair and grief and also immense love and compassion and it all kind of blends together and I'm left absolutely exhausted. So if that's where you're at too, I see you. You're not alone. Until next week, let's remember to refill our water bottles.

Find something, something in your day that is glimmery and shiny that you can hold on to to carry you through. And I'll see you next week.