Millennial parents are still “not ok.” Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been hearing that parents—burdened by work, lack of childcare, remote school, and illnesses—are struggling more than ever, and it’s not over. While kids returned to school and daycare over the last two years, that has brought a new influx of childhood illnesses including flu, RSV, and, yes, new variants of COVID. They’ve also been dealing with multiple bouts of COVID themselves. Using up their vacation days to care for multiple illnesses means they’re never actually taking time off. Parents report that they are “breaking from stress related to illness, never getting a real vacation and now the inability to pay for [their] basic needs.” Some feel more optimistic about 2023, but the reality is that a reprieve from never-ending cycles of sometimes very dangerous viruses feels far off. (CNN)