As a working mom, I can’t be there to drop off or pick up my kids. I wrote their teachers handwritten cards and it made a huge difference in our relationship. [Video]

When my older daughter started first-grade several years ago, my social media feed exploded with cute first-day-of-school photos of smiling kids posing outside their homes and schools.

I texted my spouse from work, “Did you get any first-day pics?” knowing that I’d be crushed if she didn’t document the day. But when the photos came streaming in, they made me feel even worse. How could I miss my kid’s first day? Then again — how could I miss my own first day of school as an educator?

I can’t be there for drop-offs and pick-ups

As an educator who starts work at 7:30 a.m., I can never drop off my kids on the first day of school — or any day — and usually can’t pick them up either. Despite the influx of information from parent communication apps, it’s easy to feel out of the loop when there’s no face-to-face contact with my kids’ schools.

The expectations for parentsto be hyper-involved …