In a study no one is calling surprising, researchers from several universities and organizations have concluded that moms are less happy overall and are more stressed about parenting than dads are. It’s important to note that these observations are based on a study that included thousands of parents, but that doesn’t mean your specific situation isn’t very different than the overall “average” that the study found.
What the researchers found was that while most parents did enjoy being with their children, moms often performed less of the fun parenting duties. They were often the parent who handled tedious parenting tasks on a regular basis or stayed up with a sick child. To add to the stress, moms also tended to get less good quality sleep because they were more likely to be the parent who was woken by children’s needs at night. In general, the study found that moms were more tired than dads.
The study also noted that the support level for each parent when dealing with children differed. Moms were more likely to be alone with their children for greater lengths of time. When dads were “in charge” of children, they were more likely to be around other adults and have some type of support in dealing with children.
Again, these were the overall notes of the researchers when reviewing data on how moms and dads cared for and interacted with children. It doesn’t make either person in the parenting relationship better or worse than the other, but it does point out that when you are in a relationship, the way you interact with kids could be different than how you would interact outside of the relationship.
When dealing with child custody matters, this is something that both parents should seriously consider. While working with your Hartford lawyer for ample custody rights is essential, you should also carefully consider your ability to care for children on your own when you have them and what support system you might have that can help you do so without increased stress and unhappiness.
Source: Science Daily, “All work and no play with children make moms less happy parents,” accessed Oct. 07, 2016
