Being a stay at home parent is really hard work.
Sometimes I really don’t think that people appreciate how hard it is to stay at home all day, everyday and raise our children.
For some people, it’s where they’re meant to be, and that’s great! Honestly, if they could teach me how then I would be grateful. Because for me? It’s f*cking hard work!
It’s an absolutely incredible thing to be able to spend your time with your own TinyHuman and to watch them grow. It really is, it’s indescribable. But does anyone talk about those moments in between those dreamy times?
No. Of course not. Why would they?
Staying at Home is like a circus act!
Being a stay at home parent is like becoming Ringmaster of the world’s most chaotic circus.
Suddenly you’re juggling cooking dinner, tidying the house, dealing with meeting the needs of your TinyHuman.
You wake up balancing on a tightrope. Fall one way and your day will be full of laughter and happiness. Fall the other way and your day consists of a screaming child and a messy house.
It’s a full-time job being a stay at home parent. Just like any other job really… You’re overworked and underpaid, and let’s be honest your boss is a bit of a d*ck!
It’s mentally draining…
Being at home all day with only the children and whatever godforsaken show/movie that they’re obsessed with that day can take it’s toll. I personally can recite most of the words from The Bee Movie, we watch it a thousand times a day. Barry B Benson is my most reliable babysitter and he only costs my monthly Netflix description.
I love playing with my son, singing, laughing and having the time of our lives. However I am human. I am a being who is used to regular adult conversation, I thrive in big conversations such as space, unsolved mysteries, religions and conspiracies. I want to learn. I want to debate.
I want an interesting conversation.
A conversation that doesn’t include the word “nappy”. A conversation that is not about my child. That is not about motherhood. A conversation like that I would have had before I was a stay at home parent. I miss that.
It’s really hard but…
It’s important for us to remember that while we are really struggling ourselves, everything we do at home matters. All those hours that we spend with our children laughing and playing, they matter. Those home cooked meals that literally cost us blood, sweat, and tears- they’re appreciated.
We are our harshest critics and sometimes it’s okay that you haven’t washed your hair and your house is a sh*thole. You spent the time that you could have been doing that, being a parent and being present and that is far more important.
Also, you’re not alone in your struggles!
“Stay-at-home moms at all income levels are worse off than employed moms in terms of sadness, anger, and depression”
Gallup Poll
The Gallup poll revealed that more stay at home Mums reported feeling sadness or anger in their day than the working Mums. Struggling with staying at home is not uncommon and does not make us anything less than wonderful loving parents. It’s okay to need some time away. Some adult conversation. Some time for yourself.
