On March 16, 2020, online schooling began in the Republic of Croatia in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The aim of this study was to examine the parenting experience of mothers of elementary school children during online schooling in a coronavirus pandemic. The online survey involved 265 mothers who have at least one child of elementary school age. The results show that on working days, mothers invested significantly more time than on weekends in their child's online schooling and that for most mothers the amount of time invested changed significantly compared to the period before the coronavirus pandemic. Most mothers expressed one or more concerns about the consequences of online schooling on their child, and were most concerned about the quality of the knowledge acquired. Furthermore, it turned out that mothers of children who are less independent in performing school duties spend more time involved in their children’s schooling. Mothers of less independent children suffer more stress from their children's online schooling and experience less social support. Mothers whose children are more independent in school obligations and mothers who experience less stress due to their children's online schooling report greater parental self-efficacy. This research highlighted the importance of children’s academic self-efficacy and independence in school obligations. According to Bandura’s modeling theory, it is necessary to invest in parental self-efficacy so that parents can pass on similar beliefs to their children.