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My wife gets called “Supermom” relatively frequently. It actually bothers her. “I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do!” she says. But it’s increasingly difficult for working parents in the United States to do all the things they’re “supposed to do.”

Last week, the President’s Council of Economic Advisors on the state of working families today in the United States. They found that “nearly half of parents say they have chosen to pass up a job they felt would conflict with family obligations,” and 52 percent of workers believe they’d be more successful at work with a flexible schedule. is up, average wages haven’t risen significantly in decades, and the costs of raising kids are sky-high. Meanwhile, ours is the developed country in the world that lacks a mandatory paid parental leave policy.

If things are tough for to make ends meet without sacrificing health or sanity, things are often even more grim for families with fewer resources. While raising kids is always going to be a heavy lift, it shouldn’t be so tough that we start thinking of parents as supernatural.

With those struggles as a backdrop, the White House is convening a Working Families Summit today in Washington, D.C. The event focuses on how policymakers, employers, and workers can develop policies and working environments that support a better balance between breadwinning and caregiving in the United States. You can  (and breakout sessions are ), and live-Tweet using the hashtags and .

VP Biden "we are raised to believe that our families are the most important things, but how to reconcile with our careers?"

— Anne-Marie Slaughter🇺🇦 (@SlaughterAM)

As tough as things are for parents right now, there are things that the country can do. We’ve written before about policies that can make a difference. These are things like , , and —all of which would ease stresses on families, support children’s healthy development, and make it possible for parents to advance their careers.

The research is clear. The ideas are there. The political awareness is coming along (with help from today’s summit). The challenge now is taking these resources and making a national commitment to improving conditions for workers and their children.