When a tornado hits a toy store: Photo shows reality of working from home with kids

To paraphrase “The Wizard of Oz,” pay no attention to what's behind the curtain.

Gretchen Goldman, a scientist and mother, recently pulled back the curtain on her own life — and a lot of people paid a lot of attention.

CNN interviewed Goldman, a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, to discuss President Donald Trump's choice of David Legates to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It's what CNN viewers could not see on television that created a sensation.

During the interview, Goldman's husband snapped a picture of her speaking into her laptop's camera. From the waist up, she was wearing a crisp, tailored yellow jacket. But the picture revealed Goldman had on black running shorts and was sitting in the middle a living room turned upside down by her two toddlers.

"There's a Thomas the Train Engine toy that's there, there's a box of balls and other debris that's on the floor of my house," Goldman tells NPR's Morning Edition.

The picture went viral.

"It's resonating with people," she says. "Parents are being put in an impossible situation now working from home while managing the emotional and physical safety of their children — and it's laughably infeasible to do that."

Goldman said she's lucky to be able to work from home. But at the same time, she says, "It is absolutely exhausting to both work and care for children all day. You feeling like you failing at both and I've just really been amazed to see how many people really feel this struggle."

Goldman says she doesn't expect her workspace to look much better any time soon.

To hear Goldman's Morning Edition interview, click on the audio button above.

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