I’ve definitely been guilty of envying my friends who stay at home with their kids, because it seems like a fun job. What’s it really like to be a stay-at-home mom or dad?
It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also hard work. The average stay-at-home parent works a shocking 94 hours a week. So much for sleeping in or unwinding after a long day.
Staying at home with kids isn’t something only for the top 1%, as 3 in 4 stay-at-home parents live in households where family income is below $100,000.
Over 18 years, the average parent spends 15,000 hours on childcare, 8,000 hours cooking, 11,000 hours cleaning and a terrifying 6,000 hours on laundry. (I really need to call my mom and thank her.)
If a stay-at-home parent was compensated for his or her work, he or she would make $100,000 of base pay and overtime. That’s impressive stuff.
The next time you run into a stay-at-home mom or dad, thank them for their hard work. For more on kids and how much work they can be, take a look at our infographic post explaining just how much money you’ll spend raising a bundle of joy.