As a parent, it’s normal to sometimes feel like you’re not doing enough. This is especially true if you’re a stay-at-home parent. One mother in West Virginia shared on TikTok that stay-at-home mom guilt is a very real thing and why it should be recognized. Personally, I was a stay-at-home dad for just a few years, and I totally understand where she’s coming from. I love that Hannah is shining light on feelings that really should be addressed!
“I never thought that I would feel this guilty and as much of a burden as I do being a stay at home mom,” Hannah said in her TikTok video. At the start of the video, she went to her old workplace where she worked for 10 years. She wanted to return to work because she was a stay-at-home mom for a year and felt it wasn’t working out anymore. She said this was due to “inflation” and her “husband switching jobs to try to be with our family more.”
Hannah, like so many American parents, feels stuck. Outside of her and her husband, there isn’t much help they get with their kids. They struggle to be able to afford bills, as well as the cost of groceries and whatnot. Unfortunately, she hit a dead end when she returned to her old job. They told her they didn’t have any open positions for her.
“This economy is not built for a single income family,” Hannah admits. She’s still thankful for the time she got with her sons, but feels at a loss and isn’t sure what to do. Hannah went with DoorDash in the past and even tried to bring in income by making videos on TikTok. The fact America and its faults make parents have to feel like a burden to their household is so disheartening. And what a surprise, there were numerous comments by people experiencing the same problem.
One commenter told her things will get better and that “this is just a blip on your map of life.” Other parents shared it’s hard to work and be a parent in President Trump’s economy. “My thing is not that I contribute financially but the money we save by me staying home,” another admitted. Imagine that, citizens who want to work, but can’t because the higher standard of living would push them out of necessary help.
