Women. Always women. Proud to be one. Proud of all those mothers that are demanding to keep schools open. After a whole year of no in-person classes, and a short while after our children and teenagers had recovered the joy of going back and meeting their classmates and teachers again, they are told to stay at home overnight, once again, forced to “learn” remotely. I’d dare say, learning is not the most important thing about going to school. Far from it. Friendship is, eye contact, sharing, talking and listening to one another. Not hugging or kissing for the time being, I know. But the rest? Our kids are starving for that, they need to socialize, to leave their homes and desks for a few hours, to release their pent-up energy somehow, to laugh, cry and scream, to have fun, to have something to talk about when they get back home. And mothers (well, fathers too) know this, and through “Padres Organizados” (Organized parents), they are adamant that schools should stay open, since it’s been proved that schools are not COVID hotspots. Hats off to all those parents who are fighting for this good cause! Chapeau!

Irene Bianchi for Buenos Aires Times