One working mom is wondering how any parent gets anything done on the weekends, including relaxing, when the working week is so exhausting and busy.
Hannah (@heyhannah19) posted a TikTok video, begging for help when it comes to her Saturday routines, feeling frustrated that she never gets enough done (things like cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc.), and then feeling guilty for not being able to take some time to relax.
“I desperately need to call on the help of my fellow 9-to-5 mothers. I work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. And by the time Saturday morning hits — this happens every single Saturday — I wake up and I cannot find it in me to just feel grateful and happy that it’s Saturday. It’s the weekend. And we get to relax now because I feel completely overwhelmed with the state of our f*cking house,” she admitted.
“Every Saturday morning, it feels like Groundhog’s Day. The dishes need to be done. The floors need to be mopped. The bathroom needs to be cleaned. The laundry needs to be done. The groceries need to be ordered. We start every Saturday morning with gymnastics. I have content that I want to try and film because I’m still trying to do that. We have errands that we need to run.”
She wonders if it’s even possible to have a relaxing weekend when there is just so much sh*t that has to be done.
“We do actually want to relax and spend time that we’re not doing anything in particular. And every single Saturday morning, it’s Groundhog’s Day of how the f*ck are we going to get all of this done? And I’m so irritated that I don’t have a better system to do it. So, like how are you doing it? Like because I know this is not normal. It’s not normal.”
I know Hannah feels like this is “not normal,” but I really want to just hold her hand and say that this is totally normal!
The work week is filled with work (duh) and school and then after-school practices and rehearsals and all the things. We’re so exhausted by the end of the day, the last thing any parent wants to do is fold the laundry or wash a dish. So, we put it off until the weekend, aka our one time to actually take a break.
But if we do take a break, then what? The dishes pile up. The wet laundry in the washer starts to smell like mildew. We’re paralyzed with anxiety and stress.
“I don’t want to wake up every Saturday morning and start guns blazing, tearing through this house … Like, I don’t want to live like that. My family doesn’t want to live like that. But I am so overwhelmed every single Saturday morning. It could make me, I could literally start crying. So if you have one tip to share with me about how you make your weekends a little bit more seamless and feel a little bit more, you know, just not so emergent, I really am open to all of it. Every single suggestion you have to make your life run easier and be less stressful, please tell me all of it. Thank you so much,” Hannah concluded.
In her comments section, TikTok users gave some sound advice to the overwhelmed mom while others tried to make her feel less alone.
“House cleaner every other Friday. Neither my husband or I want to spend time cleaning so we prioritize cleaners,” one user wrote.
Another suggested, “My new goal is just for the house to be functional, not clean. Adjusting my standards to reality.”
“DAILY closing shifts im telling you it makes alllll the difference. Once everyone goes to bed i take 30-1hr and just roll,” another wrote.
Another wrote, “Yeah. There’s rarely any real relaxation for me on weekends. I just go from my paid job to my household job. No advice, just letting you know you’re not alone.”
One user suggested getting dad in on the action, writing, “My husband takes the kids out to breakfast. I sleep in then listen to a podcast while I clean and organize a bit.”
