Do you have any idea what the sheer size and weight of the load you're carrying is?
As a parent, you are not only providing food, clothing and shelter for those tiny humans of yours, you are also responsible for thinking about, managing and taking care of approximately a bajillion other things.
Grocery shopping, laundry, doctor's and dentist's appointments, cooking and cleaning, arranging playdates and outings, sorting childcare, being productive and successful at work, visiting the family, helping with homework, organising birthday parties and presents, making Christmas magical, taking on your child's worries and struggles, schooling, teaching your child life skills, nurturing your child's curiosity, keeping them healthy, ensuring they aren't spending too long on screens, providing plenty of opportunity to exercise and be outside. And this is by no means an exhaustive list.
And that stuff gets VERY heavy!
But I love my kids!
Of course you do.
And I love a cup of tea!
And if I hold a nice hot cuppa in my hands for a few moments, it is refreshing, warming, enjoyable and not at all heavy. It's just a cup of tea after all; it only weighs a couple of pounds. But if I had to constantly hold it, for hours, days, weeks, months, years, not letting it spill and without ever putting it down, even when I went to bed or was doing something else, my fingers would become tired of gripping. My hands and arms would ache and long to be free of the restriction. It would make me feel tired, frustrated, helpless, trapped. Maybe even resentful.
And that is why, whatever our load is, no matter how seemingly small or how much we love it, we need to regularly put it down.
And then we need to do something to fill our own cup: go for a walk, have lunch with a friend, take a bath, read, whatever helps us refuel after being drained empty. It allows our mind, body and spirit to recover from the stress and strain under which it has been put. Moreover, it enables us to reboot and in so doing, better care for those we are responsible for once again.
Yes the current climate makes it even harder to step away, it is dark before dinnertime, school holidays are looming and we are once more being threatened with another lockdown which will add to and intensify our load hugely.
All the more reason to make putting down your load a priority. Because you deserve it. Because you need it. Because who will pick it up if you can't carry it anymore?
Click here to find out more about our parent listening group and book your place.
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