Ladies, do you feel this is accurate?
Most parents will tell you that they have very little personal time. Between meal prep, carpools, story time, bath time, work outside the home and trying to catch at least a little sleep, moms and dads find themselves with little time left over each day to relax or just do something nice for themselves. But exactly how little “me” time they get on a daily basis may surprise — and sadden — you.
According to a survey of 2,000 parents, conducted by meal-delivery service Munchery,the average parent has just 32 minutes to themselves each day.
Yikes! That’s barely enough time to shower and get dressed, let alone settle down with a good book or hit a yoga class. What’s more, the survey found that 32 percent of parents don’t stop working until 8 p.m. That means that once the kids are in bed, they likely don’t even have enough energy to keep their eyes open for a single episode of a binge-worthy Netflix show.
Meanwhile, the average parent spends around 18 hours a week directly caring for their kids, according to the survey,
This information likely confirms a lot of parents’ feeling that there are simply not enough hours in the day, and is in line with other research on the topic, like a study commissioned by Welch’s that showed that the average mom works 98 hours a week.
That’s a whole lot of overtime!
In addition the sheer number of hours parents put in, parenting is also emotionally and mentally taxing. Keeping track of schedules, grocery lists and everything else that keeps a household running smoothly can leave you with little space left in your brain for everything else.
If all this leaves you in desperate need of a laugh, check out this funny “Thriller” parody video that hilariously captures the experience of being a “mombie.”
What are your go-to strategies for carving out some “me” time in your hectic parenting schedule?