Mental Load

Communication is Key to Sharing the Parenting Load

Communication is Key to Sharing the Parenting Load

As I shared in last month’s post, there probably is not enough overt discussion between parents about how to divvy up the voluminous responsibilities of parenting and maintaining a household. Even if the everyday jobs of cooking, cleaning, carpooling and child-care are equally shared (or outsourced), parenting requires a huge amount of thinking, planning and strategizing that’s well-supported by research evidence.

No parent configuration is immune.  Disparity can occur whether you’re in a hetero, same-sex or other family configuration. The answer to finding equilibrium – like most problems between parents – is communication. 

Sharing the Mental Load/Being a Co-CEO at Home

Sharing the Mental Load/Being a Co-CEO at Home

An imbalance in the “mental” aspect of parenting is where I see the most discrepancy – and sometimes it’s what lies underneath a couple’s presenting issue when they first start working with me.  Because even if both parents share equally in the execution of the tasks – or if they have the funds to outsource the cleaning, cooking, carpooling and childcare– one partner still does much of the heavy lifting that remains.