Parenting is sometimes like having a second job.
And if you feel like you’ve worked a full day before you’ve even arrived at your desk in the morning, then it’s because you kind of have.
A new survey has found that getting the kids ready in the morning is the equivalent of working an EXTRA day each week!
Getting the kids ready is like working an extra day every week
2,000 working parents were surveyed by Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain and asked about the type of tasks they did before 9am.
The data found that the average parent conducts around 43 tasks in one morning, including making breakfast, getting the children to brush their teeth, their hair, making and packing lunches, looking for lost socks as well as dealing with any tantrums getting into the car!
The survey also found that the words ‘hurry up’ are spoken at least 540 times by the end of the school year!
Mums and dads get ready for work in the car!
43 per cent of mums revealed they didn’t have time to put their make-up on in the morning, instead applying it in the car, the study found. And 52 per cent of dads reveal they shave on the way to work!
What’s more, the research found that most parents wake up at 6am, some even earlier to perform all of these tasks ahead of their own work.
This hectic routine each day equates to 10 hours 15 minutes a week, which is MORE than a day at work.
Being a mum is like working the equivalent of TWO and a half FULL TIME jobs
Meanwhile, another study has found that stay-at-home mums work the equivalent of TWO and a half FULL TIME jobs, that’s 98 hours a week! An average working week is 39 hours!
2,000 mums with kids between the age of 5 and 12 were asked to clock in and out in the day when they parent, and the team found that most mums ‘clock’ in at 6.23am and ‘clock out’ at 8.31pm.
This makes a mum’s average work day 14 hours, 7 days a week.
Lack of ‘breaks’
The study also found that mums got on average an hour and seven minutes to herself each day and that this ‘free time’ was usually spent not relaxing.
“The results of the survey highlight just how demanding the role of mum can be and the non-stop barrage of tasks it consists of,” Casey Lewis, Health and Nutrition Lead at Welch’s, told Yahoo.
“Busy mums may identify with the list of ‘lifesavers’, which highlights not just a rigorous workload but a constant requirement to feed and fuel the family, week in and week out.”
What’s more, the findings reveal that 40 per cent of mums felt like they had a series of never ending tasks.
“Anything that can be done to make mum’s life a little bit easier can make all the difference, whether it’s a well-timed healthy snack, a small glass of 100 per cent fruit juice or simply the chance to grab a nap,” continues Casey.
The study also found that 72 per cent of mothers feel pressure to ensure their children are eating healthily.
“When it comes to making decisions around a family’s diet and overall nutrition the burden often lands with mum who, as the survey shows, has very little time to spare,” adds Casey.
“The ability to offer a quick snack or beverage that she can be reassured is nutritious for the whole family is something that can’t be underestimated in making a difference to her day.”
So the next time your hubby moans that HE’s feeling exhausted from work, you can politely remind him you’re doing MORE THAN DOUBLE his workload each week!
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