088 | Marriage Challenges: Balancing Childcare

Sep 21, 2022

Marriage challenges are bound to happen throughout even the healthiest marriages. But when it comes to balancing the childcare load, it seems especially challenging for millennial moms to get out of a holding pattern by being the default parent and doing 2.9 more hours of childcare a week than their husbands. 

In today's episode, I'm sharing my hot take on this Renee Reina Reel and diving into how I "balance" childcare in my house as a work-from-home mom who is also the primary childcare provider with a husband who works full-time outside of the home.

My three actionable steps to take to balance the childcare load in your house:

• Brain dump what you need as far as time away from your kids throughout the week. You can't ask for something if you don't know what it is. Think through how you'd ideally like your evenings and weekends to look and write it down. Get clear on what YOU need, and then brainstorm ideas for getting it.
• Communicate these needs with your partner and give them time to percolate and become commonplace in your marriage. Nothing changes overnight, and you should expect this transition to take time. However, it should be moving on an upward trajectory, even if it's slow. If your partner won't work with you on this issue, it's probably time to get professional help.
• Plan something fun for you and your partner to do together at least once a month. Marriage challenges are often exacerbated when couples aren't prioritizing time for fun and intimacy. You both need a break from your kids and some kid-free together time. Prioritize it and get creative with how to make it work in your schedule and budget.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Mom Room Podcast

Renee Reina Instagram