We’ve all done it: your partner comes through the door after a day at work and you immediately hand him the kids and mutter “you deal with them”.
While it has probably caused a fair few fights in your household, one father has opened up about why it really shouldn’t.
His honest tribute to the frustration of being a stay-at-home parent is one that we all should read, preferably with our partner by our side. It just might help both parents realise that, at the end of the day, we all need a little bit of ‘me’ time.
DadMum, Brad Kearns, isn’t just nice to look at. He is also filled with parenting pearls of wisdom that he often shares on his Facebook page. Brad and his wife, Sarah, are parents to two young boys and are incredibly open about the ups and downs that come with raising kids.
However, what makes this adorable Gold Coast family so unique is that most of the stories posted are through the eyes of dad, not mum.
From watching his wife endure labour to taking on daddy duty after a big night out on the town, Brad isn’t shy about admitting that, sometimes, being a parent is way more intense than he ever thought possible.
“Just let me sh*t in peace”
In one of Brad’s most recent posts, he comes to an a-ha moment about why his wife usually pawns the boys off to him the moment he arrives home from work.
“When I walk in the door from work; she throws the kids at me and says ‘You deal with them. You’ve been at work all day and I need a break’,” Brad writes. “Sometimes I take it personally because I think she’s telling me I don’t work hard.”
As Brad soon discovers, it’s not because she thinks he hasn’t had a hard day or that he isn’t pulling his weight.
It’s because she just needs five minutes. To shower. To go to the toilet. To enjoy that fleeting moment of silence that doesn’t normally exist when you’re a stay-at-home parent and have two young children attached to you all day long.
Blame it on the rain
Spending two days with his two sons while Sarah heads off to work, Brad endures the struggle that comes with having to entertain two active boys in wet weather.
“It’s muggy and sweaty and gross and we all have cabin fever,” Brad continues. “I wish the rain would just piss off. I’m literally counting down the minutes until she gets home so I can have a shower, shave and brush my teeth again.”
Brad ends his post with a message to all other dads out there.
“Next time you get home from work… just take the … kids for a few minutes. It’s amazing what a poo in silence without a child banging on the door can do for a parent’s sanity.”
Amen.
After all, the secret to a good relationship when you have kids is all about honesty, communication, respect and being able to poop in peace.
On that note, take a look at these useful tips on how to parent with patience when there’s little ones in the house.
