Parenting With Agoraphobia Is Hard. Itâs Harder in a Pandemic.
When the virus spread, my family went into lockdown, and the rhythms and routines that helped me cope went out the door.
Brianna Bell often feels anxious in public settings, a problem that didnât go away during quarantine.Credit.Ian Willms for The New York Times
By Brianna Bell
Dec. 15, 2020
âAll you do is sit inside!â My 6-year-old roared, running to her room to slam the door in my face.
It was an unseasonably warm fall day in Guelph, Ontario, and Iâd just returned from walking my 6- and 8-year-old daughters home from school. A neighbor friend knocked on our door just as we were pulling off our shoes, âCan Penny and Georgia play outside?â I declined the invitation. I knew that my daughterâs disappointment was what ultimately led to her outburst, but I also felt the sting of her words, and the truth behind them.