Mom Reveals How Impossible It Is To Have Her Kids In Sports & Extracurriculars While Working Full-Time
It's no wonder some people prefer to be stay-at-home parents instead of working full-time.
@rexandmo / TikTok In the fast-paced and demanding society that we live in, being a working parent is not for the weak. Especially with schools starting back up again, and many children enrolling in their preferred extracurriculars, many parents are feeling the stress of trying to balance it all, as was the case for one mother in particular named Mo.
The mom shared that it's impossible to balance her kids' sports and extracurriculars on top of working full-time.
"As a mom, we can all agree on one thing. Being a mom is hard, but being a working mom is harder," Mo, who makes family content alongside her husband, Rex, on their shared TikTok account, began in her video.
She pointed out that the most unrealistic part is being a working mother of children who are in sports and extracurriculars. "It is just so hard. It doesn't make any sense, it feels unsustainable. How long am I gonna be able to do this?" she questioned.
Mo explained that she had just gotten out of work and was already stressing out about the next couple of hours since her eldest son recently started playing football and now she has to add his schedule to hers.
Not only does she have to worry about taking him to and from practices, and games, and making sure he has all of the equipment he needs, but she also has to make sure that she's keeping in mind the activities and schedules of her other children.
"I'm getting off work, I gotta round everybody up," Mo continued. "I got a school-age child, I got babies in daycare. I gotta make sure I get his stuff for football. I gotta make sure I get their snacks."
Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. Mo also has to entertain her younger children while her eldest son is at practice, and once he's done and they leave, she has to worry about bringing all of her children home and getting them ready for bed.
"I then have to go home, wash everybody up, feed everybody, get everybody down for a bit, and do it again the next day," she stressed. "What am I going to do when they all have their own things going on?"
Mo pointed out that because of all of this, she can see why some people prefer to be stay-at-home parents instead of working full-time. "If not, your kids are eating McDonald's and Hamburger Helper pretty much every day."
Despite the overwhelming amount of energy that it takes Mo to wrangle up all of her children and get them to where they need to be, she wouldn't trade it for anything. "This is absolutely crazy, but all for them. I love them and I wouldn't trade it for nothing."
Many working parents agree that 'youth sports' and other extracurriculars put a strain on their lives.
It's more than common for working parents such as Mo to feel overwhelmed and burnt out whilst trying to juggle household and childcare responsibilities, especially when it comes to children being in different sports activities or other extracurriculars.
For one thing, youth sports are not cheap. According to a survey conducted by Project Play from the Aspen Institute, as of 2020, 76.1% of kids ages 6 through 12 and 73.4% of kids ages 13 through 17 played a team or individual sport. Because of that, 59% of families experience financial strain from their children’s sports, according to an additional survey by financial services company LendingTree.
However, if you take away the financial strain, working parents are also dealing with a mental strain as well. Per the Pew Research Center, among all working parents with children under age 18, more than half (56%) say it is difficult for them to balance the responsibilities of their job with the responsibilities of their family, with 14% saying this is very difficult and 42% say it’s somewhat difficult.
Despite these challenges, many working parents, like Mo, persevere because of their deep love for their children and their desire to provide the best opportunities.
Mo's acknowledgment that the demands are "crazy" but done out of love resonates with countless parents who make similar sacrifices for their families amid their hectic and demanding schedules.
While the daily grind of balancing work and family can be challenging and exhausting, parents like Mo are able to find immense fulfillment in seeing their children thrive, which can make it all worth it.
Parenting is a relentless journey, at every stage, marked by sacrifices and commitment, but a journey worth celebrating, no matter what.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.