So apparently mums get 30 mins of ‘me time’ a day – and we wish!
So apparently us overworked mums get just 30 minutes of ‘me time’ a day, according to research, but I’m thinking this has to be even less.
32 minutes to ourselves
In a very clever marketing ploy, a meal delivery service, Munchery, conducted a survey on over 2000 parents to prove what we all know, that mums and dads don’t have a lot of spare time – so we should therefore totally outsource cooking dinner! Sounds good, right? OK, someone hand us the free coupon? Oh, there is no coupon – hence the daily dinner grind. But I digress.
Back to the survey.
It found that a typical parent has just 32 precious minutes a day to spend on themselves.
Does that include the shower?
The 32 me-time minutes sat outside of work and parenting duties and included the time surveyed parents spent, wait for it, hiding from their kids!
We can, therefore, assume that this ‘stolen me time’ also included the five minutes they stood under the shower and going to the bathroom on their own – oh, hang on.
Read more parenting studies:
- Study: Childcare centres might be best for kids’ development
- Safety study: Nearly all parents are using their baby’s car seat incorrectly
- New research reveals some good news for parents of sleepwalkers
32 percent work until 8pm
What’s more, the survey also revealed that 32 percent of parents don’t actually stop working until at least 8pm – when the kids have finally gone to bed.
What a surprise!
The study found that the average parent with a full-time job also spends around 18 hours each week directly taking care of their kids. When added to 40 working hours, there wasn’t much spare time. And this was the same result for parents who worked part time or are full time stay at home mums and dads.
Again, surprise!
The surveyed parents also said they have about six car journeys per week ferrying their kids to school and activities, like swimming lessons, as well as multiple trips to the supermarket.
But I reckon 32 minutes is a bit rich
I am a mum of two boys aged five and three and I seriously question the 32 minutes of daily me time. For me, and most parents I know, this might be more like half that. Even if I use the TV to babysit while I make a phone call, I spend the rest of the episode of Paw Patrol, putting on a load of washing, picking up toys or prepping dinner.
My ‘me time‘ includes a shower, if I can sneak it in, and looking on my phone while I cuddle my little loves off to sleep.
And that’s about all, at this point in my life. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
