kids

'If this was my job, I'd quit.': Mum's candid admission about parenting goes viral.

 

Stay-At-Home mum Amy Weatherly, a parenting blogger from the United States, has opened up about the challenges of being a parent in a Facebook post that’s now gone viral – because it’s the most relatable thing any parent will read.

“If this was my job, I would quit… I would soooo quit,” the mum-of-three begins on her page.

“I would just walk out of that cubicle, slam the door, and give them the old peace sign and never look back. I don’t get promoted. I don’t get a cheque. I don’t get a ‘Hey! Nice job on that report’.”

It’s that sort of credit and monetary acknowledgement that parents always miss out on. In fact, a recent study found that the average stay-at-home parent would earn a six-figure salary if they were in a paid position. But of course, it’s not just the money that Weatherly is missing. She’s also missing her personal freedom, respect, and yes, sanity.

“I get pooped on,” she continues in her post.

“I get yelled at. I get argued with. I am constantly cleaning up after other people. Nobody respects my space.”

Weatherly also cites the issue of dinners being lovingly made and resentfully eaten, always having to do the dishes, and generally, never being heard.

“They eat my food from the fridge,” she says.

“Even if I label it. (To be fair, they can’t read yet. But still.)

“They touch me non-stop. That’s right, even in this day and age. They don’t listen to my ideas and I have some really good ideas.”

Weatherly admitted that what she really wants – which is what all parents want – is for someone to just “appreciate” her.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Maybe just give me a pat on the back,” she implores.

“Maybe just recognise that your bathroom is only clean because I cleaned it. And it was disgusting.

“I’ve done so much today. And nobody has told me thank you.”

LISTEN: Zoe Marshall shares her advice for dealing with strangers on Mamamia’s podcast for new parents, The Baby Bubble.

At the end of her post, Weatherly acknowledges that parenthood is a labour of love, and she knows she will be ‘thanked’ for it in the future, with the following scenario being the best sort of thanks she could get:

“If I’m really, really lucky, [thank you] will look a lot like adults who have kids of their own who don’t appreciate them either.

Who look back and say ‘Wow, thanks mom. I had no idea what all you did for us, but I totally get it now’.”

Weatherly’s post resonated with many parents, who expressed their gratitude for her honesty in the comments.

“I love how your posts always end with encouragement, and the way to go forward, even if it’s hard! Thanks!,” one mum wrote.

“Needed this today” said another, with one parent adding, “Absolutely hit the nail on the head.”

One dad was so moved by the post, he decided to publicly acknowledge his hard-working wife.

“Wowsers, yes!,” Sean Colbert wrote in the comments, tagging his wife. 
“Kelli Colbert, I totally love you! I can’t possibly appreciate, enough, all you have done and all you do for our six amazing howler monkeys, but just so you know…I am thankful for you and this life of ours together!”

 

Do you feel the same way about the challenges of being a parent? Tell us in the comments below.

If you’d like to hear more from Nama Winston, see her stories here, and subscribe to her weekly Mamamia Parents newsletter here.