Are you planning to start a family but the imminent responsibilities scare you? Do you fear that you might have to compromise on your career, quality time with your partner or household maintenance with the arrival of the baby? Well, we are here to share the secret. YOU DON’T REALLY HAVE TO OVERTHINK about this if you and your partner actually imbibe the concept of ‘Shared parenting’.
Ladies, we know that for a new mom, juggling between a career, household and the baby is really the toughest task so here we are, to your rescue. Let’s do it!
Let’s begin with- What is ‘Equally Shared Parenting?’ It is a healthy practice of equally sharing the child caregiving, breadwinning, household maintaining roles between parents which also allows them time for self-care. As simple as it can be.
Imagine you are at work and the thoughts of your baby not being attended to properly do not scare you. Feels good, no? You are able to work peacefully as your partner is taking care of the baby, managing household chores while you wind up the work and do the same for him/her once you are back home. Imagine a life without having to choose between a satisfactory career and enough time with your child because while you are at work, your child is safe and healthy in the care of the other parent who loves them just as much as you do. Once you are at home, there is plenty of time for self-care and for your baby as half of your household work has already been done. The responsibility of earning the family’s income no longer falls on just one of you. You are fully competent as a parent and as a career woman rather than throwing yourself everywhere, trying to fill in each role with half the energy and focus. Want more? You actually get the time to spend with your partner. What else do you need in life, huh?
Traditionally, men have always been thought of as the bread-winners while women take the responsibility of the household and child raising or alternatively, women overtaxing themselves, juggling between their ambitions and household while men focus just on their work with undivided attention. But, with this new concept of shared parenting, couples are actually breaking such stereotypes and adopting equally shared roles for a better life. It brings in a lot of balance, stability in a marriage and mental peace to a family as a whole.
To be prepared to do this, there needs to be a lot of understanding and respect between the couple. You have to value each other’s work, needs, emotions, and responsibilities and have the will to always fill in if the other faces a setback. You’ve got to have each other’s back. This will mean bringing small changes to your routine and schedule to accommodate multiple roles. Basic ideas could include
- One of you taking work from home whenever possible
- If your kid goes to play school then the father can get it bathed, dressed and dropped at school on the way to his work while the mother prepares its food and picks it up at the day end.
- On weekends, the at-home parent can wind up household work and look after the baby in the day and enjoy some me-time at night as the other parent takes over baby-watching and cooking.
- When any of you is out to run some errands, take the baby along with you if possible so that your partner can get some rest or me-time
You can always talk it out about this before starting a family.
So the next time when you are going out with friends, or getting yourself ready for the important presentation or even cooking the newly learnt recipe, you don’t have to worry. Your partner has got your watch as your baby is laughing and you have the gift of a balanced life. YAY!
Choose this wonderful concept and shatter old notions of parenting. It is all about teamwork, after all. Sometimes, one plus one can actually make eleven.
Adopt equally shared parenting practices today!