Being a stay-at-home parent is a huge challenge. It’s not easy. Anyone who thinks otherwise either hasn’t tried it themselves or has a warped perspective on life because they’re listening to way too many ‘alpha male’ podcasts.
Whatever the case might be, a bit of hands-on experience is the best way to change your mind! Redditor u/Mindless_Command7079, a mom of two, spilled the tea about how she taught her rude brother, who was dismissive of stay-at-home parents, a lesson he’ll never forget. She drew him into a bet that he couldn’t last even a day in her shoes. Check out the full story below.
Bored Panda reached out to the mom via Reddit, and we’ll update the article once we hear back from her.
Raising kids is a non-stop responsibility. Some people still don't get just how much consistent effort it requires
Image credits: Zinkevych_D / Envato (not the actual photo)
A woman shared how she taught her brother a lesson after he suggested that being a stay-at-home mom is 'easy'
Image credits: peoplecreations / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Mindless_Command7079
Couples need to find a way to split the chores and childcare in a way that makes sense for them
How you and your partner end up dividing up the chores and childcare at home will depend a ton on your specific situation and relationship dynamics. In other words, there aren’t any easy, cookie-cutter answers. Something that works for one couple might be awful for another.
For example, a totally perfect 50/50 split of housework might simply not be feasible or practical for every couple. ‘Perfect’ fairness might not be possible. But subjective fairness? Definitely within everyone’s reach.
What’s important here is that both partners are on the same page, that they communicate their needs, support each other, and that they’re proactive with doing the chores as required (not simply when asked to pitch in). Nobody’s a mind-reader. Not everyone’s great at picking up subtle hints from their partner’s body language and tone. If there’s a problem, both partners need to speak up.
In some households, one partner might be fine doing more of the housework because they’re either a stay-at-home parent or they work from home more often than their spouse. Elsewhere, both parents might work from the office or from home, so it makes sense to have a more egalitarian split of tasks.
On average, wives still take on more responsibilities at home than their husbands
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Unfortunately, even in heterosexual egalitarian marriages, where both partners earn more or less the same amount of money, women still tend to take on more unpaid responsibilities at home, on average.
CNN reports that a recent Pew Research Center study found that on average husbands spend 3.5 hours more per week on leisure than their wives. Meanwhile, wives spend around 2 hours more on caregiving and about 2.5 hours more on housework than their husbands.
The data noted that men tend to spend more time on caregiving than their wives only in situations where the latter are the sole breadwinners. However, even then, both partners still spend an equal amount of time on chores.
Probably the best way to split the chores at home is to look at what you and your partner genuinely enjoy or don’t mind doing. Someone who actually likes mopping and vacuuming can be responsible for those household tasks. On the flip side, the person who finds washing the dishes meditative can focus on that.
Meanwhile, any chores that are unpleasant for both partners can end up being shared equally, so nobody feels like they’re the only individual being ‘punished.’
Alternatively, if money isn't an issue, hiring a babysitter or housekeeper from time to time can give the parents some much-deserved breathing room.
The stay-at-home mom's brother quickly buckled once he realized just how chaotic childcare can get
Image credits: Pixabay / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The author’s story went viral on the r/TwoXChromosomes online community. At the time of writing, it has garnered over 10k upvotes and got nearly 1k comments.
It didn’t take long for u/Mindless_Command7079’s brother to see just how wrong he was about stay-at-home parenting supposedly being ‘easy.’ Heck, you could argue that he didn’t even give the challenge a fair try. A bit of household chaos was enough to get him to abandon his tough-guy act.
“He broke by 8:30 in the morning. He started making pancakes for my daughter and then she started to throw a tantrum because they ‘looked too much like Mickey Mouse,’ then he noticed that my son had taken off his diaper (something that I am desperately trying to get him to stop doing), and dumped his poopoo onto the floor,” the author shared.
What would you do to convince someone that being a stay-at-home parent is a serious vocation? How do you split the chores and childcare at home with your partner, Pandas? Which household tasks do you enjoy the most and which ones do you wish never existed? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Many internet users were very supportive of the author. Here's what they had to say about the family drama
A few people had some more radical takes on stay-at-home parenting. Their responses were very unpopular
