I don’t necessarily think being a stay-at-home parent is physically hard. It’s not like lifting weights or running marathons all day. But that doesn’t mean it’s not mentally exhausting and emotionally draining.
I’ve lived both sides of parenting. For years, I was a stay-at-home mom, and later I worked full-time while still raising my kids. From my experience, I can say working full-time is more physically demanding—but being a stay-at-home parent is much harder on your mind.
The reason is simple: you never get a break. When your spouse comes home from work, they can clock out, sit down, and rest. But a stay-at-home parent? You’re on the clock 24/7. Even when everyone else gets to go out and enjoy their hobbies, you’re stuck at home with the kids. After a while, it becomes lonely and isolating.
When I finally returned to work, I thought things would balance out. But they didn’t. Nothing changed. I was still doing nearly everything at home on top of my job, and it quickly became overwhelming. It felt like I was living two lives—the full-time employee and the full-time stay-at-home parent—all rolled into one.
Eventually, I hit a breaking point. I sat my husband down and explained that things had to change. Thankfully, he listened. We made an agreement: if I wasn’t working, I’d take on most of the household responsibilities. But when I was working full-time, then the housework and childcare would be split 50/50. That balance finally made things manageable.
Even with the struggles, I remind myself often that I’m fortunate—I don’t have to do this alone. What’s truly the hardest is being a single parent. I look at those who raise their kids completely on their own, and I can’t even imagine how overwhelming that must be.
