Fears Faced by Stay-at-home Parents PART 7

Number Seven

Being a stay-at-home parent can become depressing if you let it. You spend all day cleaning the house and no one notices or it could be that you cook supper every night but no one compliments you. They just get up from the table and leave you to clean the dishes. Day-to-day activities become a never-ending chore and you may find yourself moving robotically from one task to another without a lot of satisfaction. If you find yourself calling your spouse frequently, or calling friends all day long, if you feel tired all of the time even though you’re getting an ample amount of sleep, or if you find that you’ve begun to dread doing housework, you are reaching burnout or meltdown.
If this describes you, you need to change what you are doing, and how you are doing it. First, change your mind set. Your job is vital. If you are married, you make it possible for your spouse to go to work and get the job done without worry. You provide a pleasant, safe and healthy environment for the children to play and learn in. Understand that if your family didn’t
appreciate what you were doing, they would speak up. Take the fact that they aren’t complaining as a sign that they are happy with your work. If you were in the outside work force, you boss wouldn’t compliment you all the time, but he would certainly let you know if you weren’t getting the job done. The same principle applies at home, so take pride in the job you are
doing.

There are many different ways to avoid burnout or meltdown. Here are just a few: Get your family involved. Ask them what they would like on the menu, and the customs of the country you selected while eating. Have a pizza night or a burger night and let everyone serve themselves. In other words, don’t get in a rut. Make your job enjoyable.

Take opportunities to get out of the house. This can be through play dates, shopping, visiting museums or the library, fishing, garage sales, and many other activities. You’re limited only by your own imagination. Many activities are free and are enjoyable for both you and your children. Mix in some “me” time with your housework. When the children take a nap, pick up a book and read. Watch a television show. Enjoy the weather on the patio and watch the birds. Do something for yourself. Also, set aside time to occupy the children with a game or another learning activity, then sit down and have a soda or cup of coffee. Make sure that the tasks you do around the
house are organized so that you can get the job done faster, then move on to something more
enjoyable. Getting the children involved with some of your activities will also make things more enjoyable or at least easier for everyone.