LaVina Hawkins is a 45-year-old who lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. When she was 9, she went to her first sleepover and was teased by the other girls. She called her mom and asked to be picked up.

When my dad died, my mom lost her companion and financial caretaker. The emotional and logistical reality of caring for a parent was far more complex than I'd imagined. I am constantly stretched thin, ...