Every Day Should Be Parents' Day

Mother's Day and Father's Day have come and gone-maybe you got a golf outing, a spa day, or a handmade card still hanging on the fridge. It's worth asking: is one day enough to honor the weight parents carry all year long?

Given what we ask of parents-especially those shouldering a disproportionate share of the child-rearing and household work-every day should be Parents' Day. Despite all our modern conveniences, the emotional and logistical load of parenting has only grown heavier, especially for those carrying it without enough support.

We like to throw around the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child," but the fact is that most parents today don't have much of a village.

When I work with parents, whether as individuals or seeing them in couples counseling, I almost universally see signs of burnout. As human beings, we're not meant to raise children alone. Most parents are expected to be a village, and that is too much to ask.

Our culture sets aside just one day each for mothers and fathers, but given what's asked of today's parents, that seems utterly inadequate. If you are a parent and feeling burnt out: I hope you know you are not alone. I hope that you take care of yourself year-round. I hope that you lean on those you trust, and give yourself permission to rest, delegate, and say no.

Parenting was never meant to be a solo act. Let's stop pretending it is-and start honoring the full humanity of the people doing it every single day.