Business Insider May 05, 2026 • 11:17

I underestimated the mental and emotional labor of being a parent. This job doesn't have any downtime. - Business Insider

By Hannah Howard

I underestimated the mental and emotional labor of being a parent. This job doesn't have any downtime. - Business Insider

I assumed being a mom would be like a 'second shift,' but underestimated the mental and emotional labor. There's no downtime to being a parent.

The babysitter canceled at 2:14 p.m.
I was standing in the kitchen between meetings, rinsing out a lunchbox that still smelled like overripe strawberries and warm cheese, when the text came through.… [+4671 chars]

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