Tehran, Iran — Mahnaz Atai, a finance manager in Tehran, brings her 7-year-old to the office and oversees his online classes while trying to do her work.
Schools have been closed across Iran since the United States and Israel started the war As of Feb. 28, there is no information on when in-person instruction will resume. fear of air attack has since been lifted a fragile truce It was implemented, but life did not return to normal.
As with the COVID-19 shutdown six years ago, it’s been especially hard for working parents with young children.
“My productivity goes down when I have to pay attention to both my child and my work at the same time,” Attei said. “The hardest part is trying to balance work and online classes, and always stressing about whether or not he or she is actually learning his or her lessons properly.”
A total of 3,000 people were killed in the war in Iran, including more than 165 strike at a primary school. Ceasefire set to expire early next week, US and Iran still divided on key issues Iran’s enriched uranium. A US naval blockade This could cause further damage to Iran’s already deteriorating economy.
Many parents fled Tehran with their children after the airstrikes began. But the relative security came at the cost of disrupted routines, crowded living arrangements, and financial stress. Now they are struggling to resume normal lives and have no idea what will happen next.
“I feel like I’m suspended — neither in the air nor on the ground,” said housewife Roya Amiri, who recently returned to Tehran after fleeing with her two sons, ages 10 and 18, days after the war began.
The family joined thousands of Iranians who fled the capital and other cities for safety in rural areas Or a relatively unaffected answer. They stayed with relatives, with 15 people living under one roof.
As the children grew closer to each other, tension between them increased and their routines – and sleep – were disrupted. Their 10-year-old son has a respiratory illness, and they struggled to find medicine for him.
After the initial strikes closed schools, online classes resumed for a week in March before the Nowruz holidays. Online classes resumed from April 4.
Despite the threat of renewed conflict looming over the capital, Amiri said he felt returning to Tehran was the right decision. If war breaks out again, she plans to remain in her home.
Amiri said, “I was tired of living in a gang. I wanted to return to my home and routine.” “I miss Tehran.”
Reza Jafari and his wife took their children to live with their family – in a second home that soon filled with more than a dozen relatives and in-laws.
“Since the sound of the explosions was disturbing and my children were scared, I left Tehran for their peace of mind,” she said. “I was happy to be with relatives. It felt like a forced but valuable opportunity to reconnect.”
He said being surrounded by grandparents, cousins and constant activities helps children adapt faster. These were adults who were struggling with disrupted sleep, loss of privacy, financial pressures, and the exhaustion of being a house guest for weeks on end, no matter how warm the welcome.
Padideh Temurian, an architect, and her husband, Amir Ramezani, a jewelry store owner, have had to reorganize their lives around their 6-year-old daughter’s online preschool.
Temurian’s office resumed work after the holidays and did not allow remote work, he said. Employees who did not attend were asked to apply for unpaid leave.
His morning begins with a rush to prepare a makeshift classroom at home. One of them has to sit with her daughter throughout class, making sure she has the right book open and that she is following along.
Ramezani changed his schedule so he could stay at home during the day. Temurian took charge in the afternoon, using the hourly holiday to cover the difference. “My husband’s work schedule has been completely disrupted and I also take off about one and a half hours every day,” she said.
Ramezani often returns late at night after his daughter goes to sleep. Family dinners are rare.
“It has put a financial and emotional strain on both of us,” he said. “Life moves fast… you don’t realize how day turns to night. We’re just passing the time until things go back to the way they were.”
