Being a mom is stressful and hard. OK, being a parent is stressful and hard. But somehow, moms catch the brunt of it! You're pulled in a million different directions every day, you have so many needs to meet and fires to put out. Multiply that by about 1000 if you're a working mom! Or a single mom! We certainly don't want to take anything away from dads, we know how hard they work, too. But let's be honest, it's different for moms. Each day as a mom leaves us filled with love, but it also leaves us physically, mentally, and emotionally drained.

Part of the reason is that so many of us shoulder the bulk of the heavy lifting ourselves, either by design or because our partners aren't doing their fair share. This can add so much stress to an already stressful situation! In fact, according to a 2013 survey by TODAY, nearly half of moms surveyed reported that their partners stressed them out more than their kids. We can totally see that!

TODAY surveyed 7,000 moms and asked about their stress levels. A whopping 46% of respondents said that their husbands or partners were a bigger source of stress than their kids, and they reported their stress levels to be an 8.5 on a scale of 10. That sounds about right. But what are their partners doing or not doing to add to this stress?

The respondents said that a lot of the time, they felt like their partners were more like big kids than equal partners in the family. The mom managed the bulk of the childcare, housework, and day-to-day maintenance of their life. Not having help from your partner when it comes to childrearing and/or maintaining the household can be incredibly stressful.

It's so important that couples work together to create a more equitable split of responsibilities and duties. It can't all fall on mom's shoulders! It might not be possible to have a 50/50 split, we know. But if dads and partners can make more of an effort to contribute more, it can really help relieve some of the stress mom is under. Taking over the laundry duties, or cooking dinner 3/5 nights a week can make a big difference!

We know parenting is hard, but by working together, moms and dads can make it easier on themselves and each other.

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