When I saw this heading, my first thought was “Duh! Of course, moms are more stressed than dads in the field of child-rearing! Who does most of the work?” This study was done a few years ago, but still applies today.
Not only are moms a large part of the workforce today, but they are also the parent who comes home each night from work and then makes dinner, bathes the kiddos, checks the homework, cleans the house (as much as time allows,) and puts the kiddos to bed. Their work day does not end until they are snug in bed at night- usually at a late hour, since they need a bit of time to decompress from all the happenings of the day. Do I sound like I might know this firsthand? Definitely!
Why do moms feel more stressed out than dads? I think it is because moms have such a close bond with their children due to carrying them for nine months! I know that even when I go to bed each night, I am still running through my day or the next days events. I am thinking about issues my kiddos might be going through and what I can do to help them through them. My hubby starts flinching as he falls asleep within a minute of his head hitting the pillow. It makes me crazy (really, I’m just jealous!)
I think it is important for moms to find a way to de-stress throughout the week. Here are some ideas to lighten the load –
- Switch off nights with your hubby putting the kids to bed. This will help create a stronger bond between the kiddos and dad as well. Maybe you can get a chance to read a book or go to bed early.
- Plan a night to yourself away from the house (or alone in the house) and return the favor with your husband so you each have a night to yourselves every week.
- Plan a date night as often as possible. It is extremely important for your kiddos to see a positive relationship between their parents. They see and sense everything around them, so show them some positive interactions.
- Find a person to vent to about struggles and frustrations you encounter. I vent to my sister about life struggles and my sister-in-law (who is in the same career field as I am ) about work struggles. It really helps to have someone besides your life partner to vent to, so you are not always griping to them after work about your day. Sometimes that just stresses you both out!
I am pretty lucky that my hubby helps out around the house, but I have done most of the child rearing. Even though times are changing with women taking on more work roles, I do not think we will see many changes overall with the men taking the lead on the child rearing. I know for me that is also due to the fact that I want control over the child rearing. I want to know what is going on with my kiddos. I want my kiddos to see me as their “safe place to fall.” My mom was that for me, and I want to be that for my kids.