You can't take sick leave from parenting - but you can do this

You can’t take sick leave from parenting… so what happens when you’re completely done?Not tired in a manageable way - but that bone-deep, can’t-even-make-toast kind of tired. And still, the day rolls on. Lunchboxes, questions, moods, needs.I had a moment like that recently where I thought, I can’t keep doing this. And what I realised was - I can’t keep doing it like this. Not parenting itself, but the way I was trying to parent. The pace, the expectations, the pressure to keep getting it right.Because I think that’s where so much of our stress lies. Not just in what we have to do, but in what we expect of ourselves while we’re doing it. To be calm, patient, present, consistent… all the time.So I tried something small. I lowered the bar. Not dramatically - just enough. Let something go. Did less. Sat down instead of pushing through. And nothing fell apart.So maybe the question isn’t how do we cope with this level of stress. Maybe it’s what could we ease - just a little, just for today.Because we can’t step away from parenting. But we can take some of the pressure off how we’re doing it.Thank you for pausing with me. Take care. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe