Let's talk about that special kind of tired where you're standing in your kitchen at 10 PM, eating cold chicken nuggets over the sink, laughing as you remember your parenting book’s chapter on "self-care."
The Not-So-Breaking News
Fun fact: The Surgeon General just declared parental stress a public health crisis. Not that we need the federal government to point out the obvious, but it's kind of validating to have public acknowledgement about what we've been living - this parenting gig in 2024 is INTENSE.
The "I'm Fine" Olympics
You know that thing where you're:
- Juggling work emails while making lunch
- Promising yourself you’ll make a friend date with that other cool parent at pick up (but knowing you’re probably never going to make time for it)
- Relishing the moments of ‘free time’ created by a last minute meeting cancellation as a chance to eat lunch in peace, return calls, run to Target or get to the 15 other things you’d like to do today
And then someone asks how you are and you say "Fine!" with the enthusiasm of a game show host? Yeah, that's not actually fine.
Real Talk About Mental Health
Here's the thing - burnout doesn't always look like staying in bed all day (though honestly, that sounds amazing right now). Sometimes it looks like:
- Being so tired that making toast feels like one more fucking task YOU CAN’T DEAL WITH
- Having a to-do list that makes you want to fake your own disappearance
- Dreading the family activity you’ve spent weeks looking forward to, because it means putting on real clothes and having to human in public
Plot Twist: You're Not Actually Failing
This shit is actually hard. We’re the first generation of parents to have had constant internet input on how we ‘should’ be parenting since before our kids were even conceived. The demands and expectations are endless, and the volume on those demands seems to be ever increasing.
Baby Steps (Because We're Too Tired for Regular Steps)
Small wins count. Maybe today's victory is:
- Taking your meds at the right time
- Remembering to drink water
- Having a good cry in the Target parking lot
- Actually calling that therapist instead of just saving their number
The Hope Part (Because We Need Some of That)
Look, we might not be able to fix the whole system tomorrow. But we can:
- Be gentler with ourselves
- Normalize talking about the hard stuff
- Support each other when things get messy
- Remember that "good enough" parenting is actually pretty fucking good