What if we made January about acknowledging the invisible work that’s done every day? The work that gets noticed when it hasn’t happened but is rarely acknowledged when it is happening.
Below is a fraction of the things I could think of that are a part of my parenting and household management. My list is huge and comprehensive, mundane, annoying and necessary.
I imagine that you probably have many many more things that you could add, unique to you and your people.
- Getting people up
- Getting people to fall asleep
- Finding the tiny plastic object that your person can’t live without in that moment
- Sweeping up
- Knowing what food bits you need for every household member and remembering to buy them all the first time
- Clipping toenails
- Sorting through clothes that don’t fit
- Clearing the table
- Setting up the table
- Figuring out if kids have enough exercise
- Encouraging or organising exercise
- Encouraging reading
- Encouraging new hobbies
- Picking up clothes
- Putting away clothes
- Sweep again
- Setting up after-school activities
- Getting them to and from after-school activities
What have I missed that you would add? Truthfully, it’s a huge amount of tuning into your home, your loved ones and the greater world. It’s worth acknowledging.
Where are you in that list? How do you manage the potential stress levels without tuning into your own needs first?
Learn how. Parent yourself first, connect to your strengths, know and show who you are within your family every day.
The work may be invisible, but you don’t have to be.