Wow, I feel tired just reading this! I really feel for parents in the U.S. From what I hear from others (check out Janelle Hanchett's Substack, where she writes some about life in the Netherlands — see https://janellehanchett.substack.com/p/they-arent-better-parents-because), parents are way more supported in some other countries. And of course, people aren't expected to work as much as we are here.
They're in Canada! But still, I agree. Things are definitely different around the world! I haven't seen Janelle's Substack. I will check it out. Thanks!
Sheesh, my coffee clearly hadn't kicked in. ;-) Interestingly, Janelle's a writer and her husband is also a blue-collar worker and used to have a ridiculously long commute in northern CA. Their quality of life is so much better there, though she's quite candid about the problems with life there, too.
loved reading this!!!! really love seeing a blue collar worker featured. the schedule stuff is really tough, my husband is also in construction and has to clock in at 6 am always. and i bet this guy is a member of my union, the IUPAT!
Really appreciated this one — our kids are 19 months and 7 and on similar ridiculous schedules (I saw a meme joking about how the “kids places” often open at 10am but by 10am I’ve made two meals and lived three lives and I’ve never felt so seen 😅).
Somehow reading someone else’s telling makes me feel a little more ok about how tired we often feel! And also like I should really get on meal planning — I can’t imagine being the sole meal maker & grocery buyer on top of working full-time 😬
I was really interested in the comment around not getting the same level of family support as siblings who live closer, which brought to mind that they may also not be doing the same level of day-to-day caring when the time comes that their parents will need that. It’s a dynamic that I’ve observed in my own circles and family that can be really impactful to how families spend time and resources.
That's an interesting thought -- that there's a tradeoff of sorts, where you might get care support when you're kids are young, but at some point you'll also be the sibling caring for your aging parents.
I hadn’t thought about this directly before but it has been true from my own experience. We moved 9 years ago to be closer to my parents. For the first few years, they provided a lot of support with childcare and then the last few years the roles have switched and we have provided a lot of support to them through their health challenges. Now we feel pretty locked into living here - one of my brothers lives across the country and my other brother is here but has special needs so cannot take on any caretaking. It has really reduced any flexibility we might want to move for a better job, etc. There are a lot of dynamics at play. Guess that’s how it is with everything.
Loved seeing this! Their schedule seems very similar to ours. Also love Carley Fortune and scrolling on TikTok. Glad I'm not the only one who finds that relaxing.
Wow, I feel tired just reading this! I really feel for parents in the U.S. From what I hear from others (check out Janelle Hanchett's Substack, where she writes some about life in the Netherlands — see https://janellehanchett.substack.com/p/they-arent-better-parents-because), parents are way more supported in some other countries. And of course, people aren't expected to work as much as we are here.
They're in Canada! But still, I agree. Things are definitely different around the world! I haven't seen Janelle's Substack. I will check it out. Thanks!
Sheesh, my coffee clearly hadn't kicked in. ;-) Interestingly, Janelle's a writer and her husband is also a blue-collar worker and used to have a ridiculously long commute in northern CA. Their quality of life is so much better there, though she's quite candid about the problems with life there, too.
Happens to the best of us! 😊
loved reading this!!!! really love seeing a blue collar worker featured. the schedule stuff is really tough, my husband is also in construction and has to clock in at 6 am always. and i bet this guy is a member of my union, the IUPAT!
Really appreciated this one — our kids are 19 months and 7 and on similar ridiculous schedules (I saw a meme joking about how the “kids places” often open at 10am but by 10am I’ve made two meals and lived three lives and I’ve never felt so seen 😅).
Somehow reading someone else’s telling makes me feel a little more ok about how tired we often feel! And also like I should really get on meal planning — I can’t imagine being the sole meal maker & grocery buyer on top of working full-time 😬
I was really interested in the comment around not getting the same level of family support as siblings who live closer, which brought to mind that they may also not be doing the same level of day-to-day caring when the time comes that their parents will need that. It’s a dynamic that I’ve observed in my own circles and family that can be really impactful to how families spend time and resources.
That's an interesting thought -- that there's a tradeoff of sorts, where you might get care support when you're kids are young, but at some point you'll also be the sibling caring for your aging parents.
I hadn’t thought about this directly before but it has been true from my own experience. We moved 9 years ago to be closer to my parents. For the first few years, they provided a lot of support with childcare and then the last few years the roles have switched and we have provided a lot of support to them through their health challenges. Now we feel pretty locked into living here - one of my brothers lives across the country and my other brother is here but has special needs so cannot take on any caretaking. It has really reduced any flexibility we might want to move for a better job, etc. There are a lot of dynamics at play. Guess that’s how it is with everything.
Reading this from nearby Calgary! Also have a husband in the trades and we are also both far from family
Loved seeing this! Their schedule seems very similar to ours. Also love Carley Fortune and scrolling on TikTok. Glad I'm not the only one who finds that relaxing.