Skylight's "Parent Confessions" Campaign Reveals the Hidden Reality of Back-to-School Burnout

New Skylight campaign collects 1,000+ anonymous confessions that show what raising a family looks like today.

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- New data from Skylight, the company building the operating system for families, reveals what back-to-school season really looks like for modern parents. Based on 1,165 anonymous parenting confessions from across the country, the truth is clear: families are overwhelmed. They're skipping spirit week, secretly eating snacks in the car to avoid sharing and booking babysitters just to drive around in silence. The invisible mental load is real and for too long, parents have been white-knuckling it in silence.

From Confession to Solution: Making the Invisible Visible

In response, Skylight is launching the Parent Confessions campaign, transforming shame into solidarity and isolation into community.

• Breaking the Silence: Skylight's digital confession wall invites parents to anonymously share their raw confessions, like praying their kid's Little League team loses just to get Sundays back or simply admitting they have no idea what they're doing. These stories remind families they're not alone, and they don't have to fake it.
• Taking it to the Streets: On July 26, Skylight will unveil a live mural installation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn transforming anonymous confessions into public art. Free drinks from Joe Coffee will be on hand because if there's one thing these confessions prove, it's that parents need compassion, community and caffeine.

What the Confessions Reveal:

• Have we reached peak burnout?: 35% of confessions reveal parents are overwhelmed with their own lives. From wishing they could take a week off parenting to being too tired to enforce rules they believe in, families aren't just tired, they're tapping out.
• Stretching the truth: One in five confessions revealed that embellishing the truth is more common than we think – it's become a daily survival strategy.

• • These everyday deceptions include parents claiming hockey teams "don't exist in our town" to avoid 6 a.m. practices, telling kids activities are "full" when they forgot to register, pretending stores are "closed" to avoid another errand and hiding in bathrooms for moments of peace.

• Not alone, but lonely: Despite being surrounded by partners and children they adore, 14% of confessions reveal parents trapped in profound isolation – loving their families while feeling utterly disconnected from any support system.
• The guilt is real: 42% of confessions express consistent remorse, with one mom admitting to feeling "mom guilt" every single day, even when she's trying her best.

These confessions don't just reflect exhaustion – they lay bare the invisible work families shoulder every day. According to Skylight's 2024 Mental Load Report, that unseen labor adds up to more than 30 hours a week, from scheduling and logistics to emotional management and daily decision-making.

"We heard over a thousand parents say the same thing in different ways: Parenting is really hard, and none of us has it all together," said Michael Segal, Founder and CEO of Skylight. "That's why we built this campaign - to reject the dishonest Instagram view of parenting and scream from the rooftops that you're doing enough just by showing up. That's also why we built the Skylight Calendar – to make invisible work visible, and to help families feel more like a team."

Now, Skylight is inviting parents to add their voices. Anonymous confessions can be shared at skylightconfessions.com or by calling 805-328-5075. Select submissions will be featured in the Williamsburg mural and across Skylight's social channels. Contributors will receive an exclusive discount on Skylight Calendar because support shouldn't be one person's job.

Skylight Calendar is available at myskylight.com and major retailers including Costco, Target, Amazon, Best Buy, Sam's Club and Walmart.

About Skylight
Founded in 2014, Skylight connects loved ones by creating the world's simplest products and services that improve family life. Their current offerings are the Skylight Calendar, a touch-screen calendar that syncs the whole family's events, activities, chores, meal plans and more, all in one place, and the Skylight Frame, a touch-screen digital frame which allows users to send and display photos within seconds. For more information, visit www.myskylight.com.

Contact
Skylight PR
[email protected]

SOURCE Skylight