How Much Should A Parent Take On, Really?
Parenting is the hardest job in the world. When you decide to become a parent, you take on a lifetime’s worth of responsibility. You can’t take annual leave from being a parent, nor can you retire from it. Your child is always going to look to you for answers, no matter how old they are.
That’s the kind of job some people look forward to, but not everyone thinks of it in a positive way. And even when you’re happy to be a parent and apply your time and energy to raising a child, there will come times when you’re less than happy about the amount of work you have to put in.
And that’s the kind of situation that’s brought up today’s question: how much should a parent take on, really? Is it fair to ask someone to spend all their time caring for others, and to be switched on to what those around them need? Let’s talk it through with the points below.
Life Should Be Enjoyable Too
Being a parent doesn’t automatically mean giving your life for someone else. You love your children and you want to spend as much quality time with them as possible, but something has got to give along the way.
You can’t be an effective ‘giver’ all day every day without ever taking time for yourself, and it doesn’t make you selfish to want that time either. You need to be able to eat, sleep, and relax at your own pace too.
After all, life needs to be enjoyable for you as well - being a parent doesn’t rob that need from you. And while you do find typically parenting to be an enjoyable thing, it’s going to have its ups and downs like any other job. As such, you’re allowed to admit when the job becomes less fun than usual, and you’re allowed to take space and recharge!
Anyone who tells you that’s not OK for you to do as a parent is putting incredibly unfair and unrealistic expectations on you. Don’t ever accept them!
Coping with Financial Stress
Some parents have a job on top of the 24/7 task of looking after children. This can be difficult for first time parents as well as those who have raised four or more kids, as it requires a monumental amount of ‘task switching’ and an effortless grasp of time management.
But you can’t give up either job, as you need the money and you need to be there for the kids. This is a very unfortunate situation to be in, albeit a common one, but it’s not something you have to go through alone.
Make sure you’re relying on your own support network when you’re juggling two or more jobs at once. You may be a parent and an employee both, or a parent and a business owner both, but you never have to take on these mantles without having someone around to vent your frustrations to!
Accepting Help Doesn’t Just Help You
It helps everyone you know, love, and care for as well. When you accept help and allow support into your life, you share the burden of responsibility amongst those capable of helping you shoulder it.
Trust us - it’s more than OK for you to want someone to clean the house for you, or to take care of the kids for an hour or so while you do something else!
And when you’re both a parent and a carer at the same time, it can feel like there’s very little in your life that doesn't revolve around keeping someone else healthy and happy. Once again, don’t let this pressure crush you and turn life into one exhausting task after another.
Reach out to a service like Home Health Care and get a professional to take on the tasks you can’t be there for. Whether you have the time in your schedule or not, asking for help from a qualified carer will lessen your fatigue and grant peace of mind around your caring duties.
Parents, Be Careful of How Much You’re Taking on!
Being a parent doesn’t equate to being a superhero. You’re allowed to want to sit down every now and then! And we highly recommend you take the chance to put your feet up and get some ‘me time’ in. Not only will it help keep you healthy and happy within your own life, but it could improve the lives of those around you too.