When the pandemic locked down America three years ago, Eric Hailey, 41, saw for the first time how much his wife, Carla, did to support their family.
"When she said before how busy she was with the house and the kids, I didn't realize how much she did," said Eric, who owns Max Fitness gym in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. "But when I stayed home from work for COVID, I got a lot of appreciation for it. And I tried to do more to take the burden off her."
Since returning to work, Eric has continued his stepped-up contribution. "It was an awakening of roles and balance," said Carla, also 41, the general operations manager of the gym, and a dispatcher for a transportation company in Pennsauken. "He's definitely helping with the kids more. I didn't even have to ask him."
