I remember once seeing a rerun of The Ed Sullivan Show with this guy who would spin plates. It was amazing to watch. He’d set up these poles and somehow balance a dinner plate on top of each pole by spinning the plate. He’d set up one after another. The trick was that the plate needed enough force to avoid falling. Eventually, he’d have over a dozen plates spinning at once. Sometimes he’d add a trick to it, like balancing the pole on something, such as a ball, his hand, his chin, etc… It was amazing to watching him running all over the stage, from plate to plate, making sure each one was still spinning enough to avoid falling. If he spent too much time on one, others would fall; but each one needed some attention or it would fall. It was the perfect metaphor for multi-tasking. This is what it can be like to be a primary parent (often, but not always mom).

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