"I turned 57 this year. I always thought that by this point in my life, I would be taking bucket-list trips, tending a garden, and writing the novel I've always known was in me. Instead, my days are filled with wiping noses and every surface imaginable while keeping tabs on everything from medications to musical instruments."
"My husband and I now live with our adult daughter and her six children, and because it makes the most sense, I take care of the kids, the house, the dog, and everything else while the other two adults go to work."
"On a typical morning, I hit the ground running at 6 a.m. My daughter is able to take the first grader to the bus stop before work, so I'm "only" responsible for five kiddos most mornings. After getting myself dressed and ready, I take the dog out and feed him, and then get my oldest grandson ready for the bus that picks him up at our door. By then, the two preschoolers are awake, which means diaper changes and getting everyone dressed and fed. The middle schoolers need to be up, dressed in clean clothing (which is a bigger struggle than you'd think), and out the door on time. Somewhere in there, I'll manage a cup of coffee and some sort of breakfast before we settle into the rest of our daily routine."
At 57, a woman shoulders full-time caregiving while living with her adult daughter, husband, and six grandchildren. She manages mornings starting at 6 a.m., including dog care, dressing children, diaper changes, feeding, and coordinating school transportation. Household responsibilities include cleaning surfaces, tracking medications, and overseeing musical instruments. Extended work hours by other adults increase her workload and precipitated a realization that she risked burnout. She recognized a need to change routines and her lifestyle to prevent exhaustion and better balance responsibilities while continuing to care for the family.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]