The Crazy Cycle of Stay At Home Mom vs Working Dad
You can see where the crazy cycle begins and how easy it is to go there. When was the last time that you and your spouse got on the crazy cycle? Well for Casey and me, this wasn’t the first time we have been face-to-face with this cycle of emotions and frustration. This may have been a new season for us, but they were not new emotions.
However, something different happened this time. The experience got me thinking and us talking about what was going on below the surface. I want to share what we concluded because not only will it help bring understanding to families in this situation, but I think it will bring deeper levels of love and unity to the marriage.
2 things the Stay At Home Mom vs Working Dad wants in these situations:
1. Empathy
For a moment, can you put aside your own emotions and feelings and step into the shoes of the other person?
Stay at Home Mom:
- She wants her husband to know how difficult it is to not be able to “leave her work” and the fact that her “job” never ends.
- She wants her husband to understand how hopeless [it] can be to feel like you have lost your identity and sense of purpose since having to step away from your previous profession.
- She wants her husband to know how difficult it is to not be able to see immediate “fruit” from all of her hard work and investment into the children.
Working Dad:
- He wants his wife to understand the demand and pressure on him to provide for the family.
- He wants his wife to understand the pressures that come from performing and excelling at work from his boss, peers, employees, and customers.
- He wants his wife to understand how utterly draining and difficult it can be to shift gears from work to home and still be “fully present”.
