Today I am feeling tired. Actually, I feel exhausted. It seems to be a standard requirement for being a parent. People joke about the fact that parents mostly endure sleepless nights and busy days, but seriously, it is a real problem!
My daughters are not bad sleepers really. My eldest does sleep all through the night, and very deeply too. My baby is currently waking roughly every 2 hours for a feed, and she is restless because she is teething and growing and doing all those things that healthy babies do.
When Will I Sleep Again?
I have nothing to complain about. It is simply a fact. I am tired! And that is the reason why my writing has slowed down to the point where it is almost non-existent, and I am having to adjust my priorities and allow myself some time to rest when I can. If I don’t do this, I risk the very real possibility of collapsing with exhaustion, and that would do my family no good at all. I think our culture and society has always downplayed the struggle of parenthood, for both men and women.
In my experience, women take the brunt of the domestic responsibilities simply because it makes better financial sense for the family. I find it sad that this is still the case after 100 years of feminism, campaigns for equality, and a rise in women in the workplace. In fact, I find it downright disgusting that women who stay home to care for their children are overlooked, under appreciated, and generally looked down upon by their societal peers, for doing a job that is essential if the human race is to continue!
I’m too tired to continue
Well, before I take this into a rant about equality and sexism, I will leave it there. I am just too tired to continue. My baby is waking from her nap, my kitchen is full of dirty dishes that won’t clean themselves, and I have to collect my elder daughter from preschool soon. Maybe I will sleep properly at some point in the future. For now it remains a distant dream… but I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I love my children! Have a great week everyone.
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SpookyMrsGreen 
I think it may be something in the air. I find that all my friends with children bring up sleeplessness at the same time. It’s as if all the kids got together for a meeting about sleep deprivation and the silly effects on the adult of the species. There are times I think I’m part of my daughter’s research experiment to see how much I can accomplish on a few hours sleep. But you’re right, at least they’re healthy and this is normal. There should be a holiday for parents who stay home when we’re acknowledged for the work we do. Perhaps that will cut down on the urge to rant 😉
Good idea! If we received a wage relative to the cost of childcare/professional cleaners, think how much it would benefit the economy! And with regular holiday cover as well? Perfect! 😉
This world is slow to appreciate the feminine. It drives me mad that most adverts for cleaning products still feature women rather than men. We know they’re just silly adverts, but that sort of thing seeps into the subconscious and has an effect.
Wishing you a good night’s sleep!
Very true, thanks for commenting Annabelle (and yes, I finally got a decent night’s sleep, hooray!)
I agree. I don’t have any children and I commend all parents. i don’t see how you guys manage to survive! I mean there’s always something that needs to be done and food to be cooked, clothes to clean, ect. So you get a pat on the back from me! I know it’s hard work! Good Job!!!
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That feeling of tiredness that comes with sleep deprivation is awful. I do hope you are getting more sleep these days. It makes me cross too that women are often looked down on for being a stay at home mum – and judged if they go out to work – sometimes it feels like we can’t win whatever we do. I just remind myself that I’m doing the best I can for my own family and try to ignore what other people think or say.
Thank you, our sleep patterns are still up and down, although much better than they were when I wrote this article. I suppose we simply have to grit our teeth and get on with it. 🙂