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There’s nothing quite as demeaning, patronising and just, annoying, than hearing someone label you as “just a mom”.
“What does she do? Oh, she’s just a mom.”
“Decorations for the school dance? She can do it. She’s just a mom.”
“Plan Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways? Pick Carol. She’s just a mom.”
Kudos to the nine-to-five women slaying the corporate world, and to the working moms doing all the things, we’re in awe of you. But to the stay-at-home moms out there, currently on the school run, cooking up a storm in the kitchen or dealing with a last-minute homework assignment crisis, you’re miles away from being “just a mom”.
“You are a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a maid, a cook, a referee, a heroine, a provider, a defender, a protector, a true Superwoman.”
– Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love and a Dash of Sass
Knowing full well that you’re juggling several jobs at once and you're completely and utterly exhausted because of it, makes hearing something so ridiculous even more frustrating – and hurtful. But in case society hasn’t quite caught up, we found a new study that just revealed motherhood is actually equivalent to working 2 and a half jobs.
Earlier this year, The Independent reported that a survey of 2 000 mothers of children aged 5 to 12 revealed just how many hours go into the very many tasks that make up motherhood. The survey conducted by Welch’s, an American juice company, revealed that the average mom’s alarm clock rings at about 6:23 am and her day may end at around 8:31 pm – on a good day.
That’s about 14 hours a day and over 98 hours a week! The overtime and weekend shift actually makes it equivalent to working 2.5 jobs. The study also revealed that in between the never-ending to-do list that 40% of the moms feel they have, they only have about an hour and seven minutes of me-time.
When asked to list their “lifesavers” – the things they rely on to get them through the day – they listed wet wipes, toys, Netflix and iPads for the kids, and lot and lots of coffee for mom.
Sounds about right.
“The results of the survey highlight just how demanding the role of mom can be and the non-stop barrage of tasks it consists of,” said Casey Lewis, MS, RD and Health & Nutrition Lead at Welch’s, to Yahoo News.
And she’s absolutely right.
Most moms (and many, many dads) get their kids up (a job in itself), feed them, dress them, and drop them off. Then come home to make up their beds and clean the rest of the house, which includes scrubbing ridiculous amounts of toothpaste off the bathroom sink and blow-drying crayon off the walls, do the laundry, and prep lunch. And sometimes, if they’re lucky, mom might be able to fit in a quick shower as well, before picking the kids up from school.
And that’s just before noon.
What have you done today?
- Also read: Morning chaos and a single mom
And to the moms out there, if anyone’s ignorantly labelled you as “just” anything, passive aggressively share this on Facebook – it’s a study, it's science, you’re doing them a service – because everyone should know you’re so much more than “just a mom”. Every mom is a working mom.
“You’re… a true Superwoman. Wear your cape proudly.”
Do you often get told, or do people imply, that you're just a mom? How do you respond in that situation? Tell us by emailing chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments.
Read more:
- Moms and self-esteem: when you don't feel good enough
- Worrying about being a perfect mom makes it harder to be a good parent
- Why Facebook may be fuelling your motherhood insecurities
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