Hilary Duff is every parent fighting the endless plagues this year

It’s not even winter and somehow, someway, every child has been sick a bajillion times already. If you’ve been woken up by a sick child in the middle of the night and asked yourself, “HOW? AGAIN? HOW?” during the past month, you’re not alone. Hilary Duff revealed she had to take a brief social media break because her entire family has been fighting back-to-back sicknesses nonstop.

On Tuesday, the Younger star, 35, recorded an Instagram Story for her followers, explaining her absence has been due to Covid, RSV, and the flu running rampant in her household.

Related: Hilary Duff’s warning to new parents about newborn life is 100% spot ON

The actress shares daughters Mae James, 19 months, and Banks Violet, 4, with husband Matthew Koma, 35. She’s shares an older son, Luca Cruz, 10, with ex-husband Mike Comrie.

“Hi, everyone! I haven’t been on in a minute,” she said in the Instagram video. “That’s because my whole family has had COVID, hand-foot-mouth, colds that were worse than COVID, RSV, parainfluenza, the good old-fashioned flu. We had it all. Ahh! I’m sure every single family is dealing with this right now. ‘Tis the season.”

Indeed it is. With RSV, flu and other respiratory illnesses surging nationwide, it feels like this fall in particular is pretty virus-heavy. Some experts have suggested that during the pandemic, kids who would have normally had more exposure to these viruses in their daily lives and therefore built up some resistance to them could now be underexposed. Kids are now getting infected with these viruses—sometimes in succession, and sometimes they have more than one virus at the same time.

And, as always, the perfect storm of weather, indoor activities, school back in session, viruses that thrive in the temperature change, immune systems still developing, and a post-pandemic world have all conspired to make this year particularly plague-y for parents, kids, and families everywhere.

Related: Does breastfeeding protect against RSV? Yes, studies show

My own daughters seem to be sick far more often than not during the last four to six weeks or so. My eldest is in elementary school and my youngest is in preschool, and I’m fairly certain they’ve each battled more than one virus at the same time. Twice. Each. We feel like we’re constantly playing the game of “Do we take them to the pediatrician only to be sent home, or is this an infection?” about a zillion times this fall already. Flu swabs, Covid swabs, and throat checks OH MY.

Here’s hoping these viruses slow down as soon as possible! But know that if you’re already feeling burned out by illness, you’re certainly not alone.