Mother and housewife. Father and man around the house. Does the first combination still sound more familiar than the second?
With Mother’s Day approaching, we would like to dig a bit deeper into the topic. But first, allow me to briefly – I promise – explain why we honour mothers on this particular day of the year.
Back to the 16th century
Young working people used to visit their church and hometown once a year. On this specific day, mothers and children were reunited, which transformed into the tradition of celebrating one’s mother. In the 1950s this Christian tradition became popular in the UK.
Nowadays Mother’s Day no longer has a purely religious meaning – it is a day to show our mum’s how much we appreciate them by offering gifts – this is where commercialism strikes.
Today’s challenges
The household – especially during that period – was the domain of women only. Nowadays, in most families both men and women have a full time professional career and share the household chores.
Modern dads spend more time in the kitchen than ever and enjoy quality time with the kids. The traditional image of dad being the only breadwinner and mum being the multi-tasking housewife, is becoming less and less common.
Combining work and family is not always an easy task. Even if you’ve worked it out perfectly in advance, in practice it can sometimes turn out differently.
5 smart ways to release pressure
1. Share the load
Don’t hesitate to delegate chores – to your partner, colleagues or a cleaning help. Others may not do it the same way, but chores will be done and you will create more time for what is meaningful to you.
2. Make choices
‘Making choices’, it seems quite obvious. Select your tasks and learn to say ‘no’.
3. Plan your free time
Create more time to relax and enjoy. Monitor your free time to avoid double bookings and rushing from one place to another.
4. Combine similar tasks
Group tasks like ironing or cleaning and choose one moment in the week to have them finished. That way you don’t have to switch between different tasks which takes more time and energy.
5. Care for yourself
Eat healthy and get enough sleep. Don’t forget to make time for fun and relaxation.
Do you have it all well managed or does your life sometimes feel too chaotic? Please share your opinion.
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