Quiet! Mom wants to sleep! Please!
That’s why we mothers are always so tired
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“You’re always tired.” – Yes man! I also do a pretty demanding job – I’m a MOTHER. But what exactly makes us so exhausted that we can barely stand up at 8 p.m. in the evening? Our author gets to the bottom of this.
Yes, of course we usually don’t sleep enough and having children is in itself very nice and very tiring. But other people also have strenuous jobs or a lot on their plate and still last until the end of the film at 8:15 p.m., while we like to be gently asleep after just 10 minutes. As long as we even made it to the couch and didn’t wake up two hours later completely disoriented in our cot. Damn, unfortunately the mountain of laundry that we actually wanted to take care of while watching TV in the evening will probably have to be postponed until tomorrow. Not that we have time for it, but it has to be done somehow. And that brings us to point one, why we mothers are constantly tired.
1. To do list in your head
What I couldn’t get today will really annoy me tomorrow. Or something like that. Mothers’ to-do lists are long. Days when there is nothing to do are rare, very rare, even non-existent. Unforeseen things don’t make things any better because they only throw our schedule even further into disarray. This in turn means that we either have to try harder to get everything together or postpone things until the next day, which usually doesn’t have many gaps so that we can get something done quickly. A vicious circle. Even if you can delegate things. Because it’s not just about getting things done, but above all about “thinking about everything”. Managing appointments, household, job and free time for a family is simply incredibly tiring and it’s no wonder that we are completely exhausted by the afternoon and would prefer to have some peace and quiet.
2. Pay attention position
Mothers with small children in particular know this: no matter when, no matter where, no matter how, we are always on the go, always on alert, subconsciously scanning the environment for possible sources of danger, having amazing reflexes when it matters and our attention is always there in the child, even while sleeping. After all, even everyday things, like all-purpose cleaners or small items lying around, quickly become really dangerous objects. So we are in permanent protection mode. The good thing: It gets a little easier when the children are older, no longer put everything in their mouths and have learned that a red light means “stop”.
3. Multitask
On the way from the kitchen to the children’s room, you can quickly put away one to eight things, wait in line with the pediatrician and at the same time don’t let your lunch burn on the stove while the laundry is doing its rounds in the machine. Daily doing for moms. Last year, home office and homeschooling were on top. No wonder we burned out. Multitasking sucks incredible energy. Especially when the mental load mountain grows and grows while you’re trying to finish a thought and the child stands next to us for the tenth time within 3 minutes to say “Mommy?” to express a need. In the best case scenario, we can immediately remember who we wanted to write an email to.
4. No breaks
Just take a quick break? Close your eyes for half an hour and neither hear nor see? Hahaha, funny. There are only breaks again when the children are older. Parents often find things difficult with Me-Time. A real feat of strength, especially for single parents. If there is no partner who can take on tasks, only a strong network can help, but you also have to have that first. It sounds tiring, and it is. It’s no wonder that at eight in the evening we’re just sitting on the kitchen chair and staring exhausted – simply because there doesn’t seem to be any strength left in us. Oh yes, and sleeping at night is not always possible with small children. Every mother definitely knows that sleep deprivation is actually torture. Hell!
5. Under constant observation
Since becoming a mother, I have felt constantly judged and scrutinized. Whether I’m doing it right, what my children eat, how many toys they get and how often they are allowed to watch TV. A lot of people have a lot of opinions about when and how to be a good mother. Why don’t we look at each other kindly? The constant competition is just annoying and very, very tiring.